Finding the Fountain
by Dorchet
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto, college student, has always been overshadowed by his rival, Uchiha Sasuke.  Now out of Sasuke's shadow, Naruto met a beautiful, mysterious woman.  What happens when his perfect girl is his rival's sister. Naru/FemIta AU M for Safety
1. Chapter 1  Flashback

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto.

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><p>As the key turned in the lock, Uzumaki Naruto leaned heavily against the doorjamb. Sighing, the young blonde pushed to door open to reveal a dark apartment. "I'm home," he called out quietly, knowing that there would be no one to respond. Dropping his bag next to the sofa, Naruto sank onto the plush cushions and laid his head back. Gently massaging his temples, the tired blonde reflected on his current situation.<p>

His parents had passed away years ago, his mother, Kushina, had passed during his birth, and his father, Minato, followed shortly after due to illness. He had spent the first few years of his life in the care of his father's old boss, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The elderly gentleman had taken good care of Naruto during his childhood, enrolling him in a prestigious private school, even personally tutoring him when he needed the help. When Naruto turned seven, Grampa Sarutobi's health took a turn for the worse. More concerned about Naruto's well-being than his own health, Hiruzen called upon his former students for help. Little Naruto was excited to meet the pair that Grampa Sarutobi had told so many stories about.

He had quickly hit it off with Senju Tsunade, an accomplished doctor at the local hospital. They two blondes spent hours chatting together about Grampa Sarutobi and all of his little quirks. However, upon meeting Tsunade's ex-husband, Jiraiya, Naruto's good mood turned dark. He quickly learned that his father had named Jiraiya his godfather. Realizing that Jiraiya had neglected the duties left to him, Naruto quickly distanced himself from the perverted old man. When Hiruzen called his two students together, they began discussing who would become responsible for Naruto. Before Jiraiya could even open his mouth, Tsunade declared that she would adopt the little blonde boy. Not wait for a response from the two men, Tsunade immediately went to tell Naruto her intentions. Conceding the decision to his ex-wife, Jiraiya left, promising to be there if Naruto ever needed him.

Naruto's momentary happiness did not last, as he quickly discovered that his new mother, as well his new sister Shizune, were always working at the hospital. The blonde boy accepted his new lot, and learned to fend for himself. The absence of any family did nothing to dampen the blonde's ever present smile. In fact, the only thing that had ever dampened that smile, was Sasuke. Raising himself up from the plush couch, Naruto stalked into the kitchen, scowl marring his usually cheerful face. Reaching into the cabinet for a cup of instant ramen, Naruto considered his arrogant rival. Uchiha Sasuke was the son of the late Police Commissioner Uchiha Fugaku. The Commissioner and his wife, Mikoto, had died in a car accident a few years ago. After the accident, the once cheerful Sasuke turned quiet and bitter. Naruto had heard that Sasuke lived alone, despite having an older sibling.

Naruto could care less about Sasuke's predicament, the young Uchiha had always made the blonde's life hell. The two boys had competed against each other since they were children, but no matter what the situation was, Sasuke had come out on top. In the third grade, Sasuke had outscored Naruto on every test and assignment they had that year. In the eighth grade, the boys had tried out for the baseball team, but once again Sasuke had emerged victorious. Embarrassed by his failure, Naruto had avoided any other school sports from that point on. The worst, however, came in the tenth grade, when Sasuke had won the affections of Naruto's crush, Haruno Sakura. Devastated by his rejection, Naruto sunk back into the shadows of high school, not even emerging when Sasuke dumped Sakura two weeks later.

It had been at least a year since Naruto had last seen his rival. The pair had parted ways after graduation, but not before Sasuke had beaten Naruto again. Naruto had been accepted to an art and design school, hoping to do something creative in the future. His mother had assured him that his tuition would be taken care of, so he wouldn't have to worry about scholarships. After telling this to his friends, Sasuke had trumped him completely. Sasuke had been accepted to the most prestigious college in the area, and if that wasn't enough, the school had awarded Sasuke a full scholarship. Enraged by Sasuke's need to show him up, the blonde disappeared from the graduation ceremony, never showing up at the party his friends had set up. The time after graduation passed quickly, and soon it was time for college classes to start. After signing up for his classes, Naruto threw himself into his work, isolating himself from his old friends.

Naruto finished up his instant ramen and discarded the cup into the garbage next to the sink. Dropping back down onto the couch, the blonde thought about the friends he had distanced himself from. It had been a few months since he had heard from any of them, and even longer since he had seen them at all. Reaching into his pocket, Naruto pulled out his cell phone and began scrolling through his contacts. About halfway through the list, the phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, the blonde noted that his sister was calling. Answering the call, he held the phone to his ear and spoke. "Hey Shizune, what's up?"

Though fifteen years his senior, Shizune had always been close to Naruto. She truly considered him her brother, and it saddened her that she and Tsunade were never really there for him. Taking a deep breath, Shizune spoke. "Tsunade and I are stuck at work again, so we won't be home for dinner."

Used to his family's absence, Naruto took the news in stride. "It's okay Shizune, I was actually going to try and get together with some of my friends anyway. How's Mom doing? She's not pushing herself to hard is she?"

Smiling at the concern her younger brother showed to their adoptive mother. "She's doing fine, just a little tired. Well, have fun with your friends, and how about tomorrow I make breakfast. Think of it as my way of saying sorry for not being there."

"Thanks Shizune, that sounds great. Tell Mom that she needs to take it easy, since she can't take care of herself," Naruto said jokingly. Shizune laughed at Naruto's comment. Saying good-bye to her little brother, Shizune hung up. Ending the call on his end, Naruto went back to his contact list and started looking through his contacts again. He quickly found the number he was looking for. Pressing send, Naruto waited for the phone to be picked up. Hearing the tell-tale click, Naruto started speaking. "Hey Kiba, it's Naruto. Do you think we can get the old gang together, it's been a while since I've seen you guys."

A sharp sound akin to a bark sounded from the other end of the line. "Nice timing man, I've got most of the guys here already, and the girls are on their way. We're at the barbecue place that Chouji loves, so hurry up and get down here man, I'll save you a seat."

"Thanks Kiba, I'll see you in a few. Later, Kiba." Hanging up the phone up, Naruto pushed himself up off the couch and went to meet his friends. Making sure to lock the door behind him, Naruto hurried out of the apartment and hurried to the restaurant.

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><p>AN: Hi there, this is the first fanfic I've posted, but I hope to get a few more up here before long. I hope to get some reviews soon, I also accept flames. Thanks.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2  Meetings

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto

AN: I was going to post this on Monday, but after seeing all the excited reviews, I decided to post early.

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><p>As Naruto walked into the Korean barbecue, he was quickly flagged down by Kiba. Making his way over to the corner where the gang was sitting, Naruto scanned the crowd of guys. They guys were all sitting on the inside of the booth, leaving the seats on the outside for Naruto and the girls. Inuzuka Kiba was sitting furthest to the left, right on the corner of the table. Opposite him on the other corner leaning his head on the corner of the table was Nara Shikamaru. Despite his lazy appearance, Shikamaru was well aware of everything happening around him. Sitting to his left was his best friend, Akimichi Chouji. The heavy-set young man was diligently watching the kitchen doors, waiting for the groups order to come out. Sitting to Kiba's left was the ever quiet Aburame Shino. Even in the dimly lit restaurant, Shino never removed his dark sunglasses. Next to him was the boisterous Rock Lee once again shouting about 'The Fires of Youth'. The group was rounded out with the addition of someone Naruto had not expected to see. Seated in between Lee and Chouji was the man the blonde considered a brother, Sabaku Gaara.<p>

Nodding sympathetically to the redheaded insomniac, Naruto took a seat on the outside of the table next to Kiba. Shaking hands with the feral looking Inuzuka, Naruto leaned back in his chair and asked, "Is this all the guys?"

Taking a sip of his soda, Kiba nodded. "Neji bailed on us once he heard that I'd invited Lee. Those two still don't get along too well. The only other one I invited was Kankuro, but his sister said there was no way he was going anywhere. Hey, Gaara, what did he do this time?"

Gaara slowly turned his blank stare towards Kiba and spoke in a quiet voice. "He broke Temari's favorite fan."

Both Kiba and Naruto shuddered. They knew how protective Temari was of her fans. The pair was surprised that Kankuro was still among the living, being forced to stay home was getting off easy. Relaxing back into the chairs, Kiba and Naruto as Shikamaru picked his head up off of the corner of the table and turned his attention towards the door. Following his gaze across the restaurant, the two guys watched as the rest of their party walked in. Turning back to Shikamaru, they stared at the lazy brunette in disbelief. Shrugging at their shocked looks, Shikamaru laid his head back against the top of the booth. As the girls walked up to the table, a blue-eyed girl with long blonde hair sat down next to Shikamaru and smacked him on his forehead. "Wake up, lazy. We get here and you're already sleeping," the girl shouted in a shrill voice.

Sighing heavily, Shikamaru opened one eye and looked at the blonde girl. "Troublesome woman. I'm awake Ino, don't worry. Did you see who's joined us tonight?"

Cocking an eyebrow at the brunette's question, Ino scanned the crowd of boys. When her gaze reached the opposite end of the table, the blonde's eye's widened and she let loose a squeal of joy. "Naruto!" she shouted while hugging him. "How are you doing, it's been so long."

Returning the loud girl's hug, Naruto smiled. He was pleased that Ino was excited to see him, he was afraid that his friends would be mad that he hadn't been in contact with them. Getting up from his seat Naruto greeted each of the girls in turn. The next girl to come forward to hug him was his old crush, Sakura. The petite pinkette hugged Naruto warmly. The two had made up shortly before graduation, after realizing that the Uchiha wasn't worth ruining their chances of being friends. Still smiling, Naruto released Sakura and took a look at the girl standing behind her.

No longer the shy blue-haired girl he knew in high school, Hyuuga Hinata had blossomed into a mature young lady. Smiling demurely, Hinata stepped forward and gave Naruto a gentle hug. Naruto had learned during their graduation that Hinata had once had a crush on him during their high school years. Embarrassed by his cluelessness, Naruto had apologized profusely to Hinata. She revealed to him then that her crush had passed, and that she had really been more in love with his spirit and personality than with him himself. Startled by her bold confession, Naruto had laughed off the situation, saying that he was glad that they could still be friends.

The next two greeting passed quickly, with a simple handshake from the bun-haired brunette Tenten, and a friendly punch in the shoulder from Gaara's older sister, Temari. The girls took their seats, the girls placed their drinks orders and waited for the waitress to return. Taking advantage of this brief lull in the conversation, Naruto decided to ask what his friends were up to. Kiba had been going to veterinary school, hoping to work with his older sister once he graduated. Naruto was surprised to hear that Kiba was also dating Sakura. The two had gotten closer after graduation, and had shared many study sessions, since Sakura was studying to be a doctor. The pairs relationship had blossomed from there and they had been dating ever since. Upon learning this little tidbit of information Naruto offered his seat to the pinkette, who immediately refused, citing the fact that she spent most of her time with Kiba already.

Shino had gone to a prestigious college in the area to study Entomology. The young Aburame had explained that he had chosen his major based upon what his father had done when he was younger. Laughing boisterously at the quiet boys decision, Naruto had said that the major fit Shino perfectly. The blonde's good mood slipped for a moment when he realized that Shino was going to the same school as his rival. Seeing Naruto's face, Shino decided to share an amusing bit of information. He shocked the group by revealing the fact that the arrogant Uchiha Sasuke was in danger of being expelled from the school. After hearing about his rival's predicament, Naruto thought that the night couldn't get any better. He was pleasantly surprised, however, by the news that came from Lee. Lee had been training in martial arts for most of his life under the same instructor, Might Guy. After years of training, Lee had finally been appointed as a teacher in his master's dojo. Happy for the realization for his friends dream, Naruto had called for a toast.

After their toast, he asked his best friend what he had been up to. The redhead had shrugged noncommittally, claiming that nothing really incredible had happened. At this, both Temari and Hinata raised an eyebrow. Confused by their reactions, Naruto asked Gaara's sister what was wrong. Temari answered his question with what would be the most shocking news of the evening. Gaara had asked Hinata to go out with him. Dropping the drink in his hand, Naruto stared at the redhead sitting on the inside of the booth. As the waitress brought him a new drink, the blonde wondered how Gaara could act as though getting a girlfriend wasn't noteworthy news. Deciding that he didn't want any more surprises from the couple, the blonde turned his attention to the remaining members of the group.

Chouji had been going to a culinary school, hoping to be able to open his own restaurant one day. In response to his best friends dream, Shikamaru was taking courses in Business Management and Economics. He had hoped to be able to run the business and front of the house operations for his friends restaurant one day. Shikamaru's girlfriend had been working in an office, trying to support her two younger brothers. Temari glared sharply at her boyfriend when he made a comment about her being a 'troublesome woman', threatening him with pain if he said it again. Smiling broadly at his Temari's comment, Shikamaru held up his hands in surrender. Tenten chuckled at the couples antics, and brushed off Naruto's questions by saying that she had been working in her father's store since graduation. The last to speak was Ino, who dove into a detailed account of her work at her family's flower shop. In addition to an account of her work, Ino rattled off the different relationships she'd had since high school. While not many, all of her relationships were brief. Eyeing up the male blonde, Ino finally posed his questions to him. "So Naruto," she began seductively. "What have you been up to? Meet anyone lately?"

Blushing slightly at Ino's tone, Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head before he spoke. "Well, there is this one girl. She's in most of my classes, but she's a little older than me."

Naruto's response had caught the attention of his friends, and they all leaned in to hear the details. Realizing that he had no choice but to tell them, Naruto launched into his story. "I first noticed her in my Studio Art class. When I saw her, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. I was so entranced not just by her heart-shaped face, but also her lithe figure and her long raven hair. Those most stunning thing about her though was her eyes. They just looked so sad, beautiful, but sad. I wanted to ask her right then why she was so sad, but I chickened out. I didn't even know her then, but that changed pretty quickly. I began seeing her in almost all of my classes, except for my graphic design course. I know I made it sound like I learned a lot about her, but all I got was her name, Izumi.

"A few weeks later, I finally got a chance to talk to her. Our Studio Art teacher made us pair off for one of our in-class assignments. We both ended up partnerless pretty quick, so the teacher paired us up. She was pretty quiet at first, and I was trying to figure out how to talk to her. She really shocked me though by asking me questions about myself. Every time she asked a question, she waited for me to answer, then she gave me the same information about herself. I was so shocked that she'd even be interested in me that I just kept answering her questions. We found out a lot about each other, except for out last names, every time we got close to that she changed the subject."

Deciding to have fun with her fellow blonde, Ino interrupted. Faking surprise, she asked, "Well, if you don't know her last name, how can you be sure that you're not related?"

At Ino's remark the rest of the group shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Naruto lowered his eyes to the plate on the table in front of him. Without looking up, he responded. "Easy Ino, because I don't have any family."

Realizing her mistake, Ino was quick to apologize. "Naruto, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that, please forgive me."

Waving off her apology, Naruto sighed. "It's okay, sometimes even I forget that she isn't really my mother. But that's not the point, back to my story. We've got a lot in common, she's as obsessed with dango as I am with ramen. We've both been studying martial arts since we were kids and, we're also both orphans. Her parents died in an accident years ago. She's really amazing, she put her self through business school and then once she graduated she decided she wanted to go to art school. She plan's on opening her own art gallery once she's finished. But guys, we really hit it off. We got so caught up in our conversation that we almost didn't finish our assignment in time. What surprised me more was a couple days later in our Art History class. She walked in and sat down right next to me. I was speechless, I honestly didn't expect her to talk to me again. Our professor assigned us a research project to do in pairs, and when I turned to ask her if she wanted to work together, she was already looking at me. I didn't even have to ask her. This girl is amazing, guys."

Smiling happily for their friend, the group was ecstatic that Naruto was interested in someone again. Wanting to see how far along the blonde's relationship was, Tenten asked, "So how long have you two been dating?"

Blushing scarlet, Naruto stammered out his response. "Uh...well, we...uh...we haven't...well, actually _started_ dating, yet."

"Uzumaki Naruto," Sakura's voice cut in. "Do you mean to say that you've been fawning over this girl for who knows how long, and haven't made a move?"

"Well, it's not that simple Sakura," Naruto replied.

"That's crap and we all know it," Temari remarked. "Are you afraid that she'll say no? Because from what you've told us, she's just as interested in you."

Naruto perked up at this. "You really think so?"

Rolling her eyes, Temari gave the blonde a look that spoke volumes about his naiveté. "Of course, in everything you've told us, she started it all. How did you miss that?"

Slightly offended, Naruto spoke up in his defense. "Well, I'm sorry. I never was particularly observant. I always missed a lot of stuff."

"That's definitely true," Kiba snorted. "You completely missed Hinata's crush on you. Not that you would have done anything anyway."

Glaring at his friend, Naruto huffed in annoyance. "You don't have to rub it in," he muttered.

Shaking her head, Sakura voiced her opinion. "Kiba, you be quiet, you had no idea I was even into you. I practically had to throw myself at you." The group watched as the Inuzuka boy blushed furiously. Turning her attention back to Naruto, Sakura continued. "You should give this girl a call and see if you can't get her to go out to dinner with you. It wouldn't hurt to try."

Nodding vigorously at the pinkette's wisdom, Naruto agreed. "Yeah, you're right, I'll never know until I try. I'll give her a call later and ask her if she'll go out with me tomorrow."

The girls smiled at the blonde's drive, while the guys nodded solemnly, hoping that their friend would come out of this alright. They didn't want to get their hopes up, afraid that this would end in disaster. The conversations turned to other mundane subjects as the food came out. The group of friends dug in, making sure to give Chouji a wide berth.

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><p>AN: Hi there, just want to say a special thanks to all the reviewers so far. Thanks very much El Frijolero, WraithReaper, Imperial Mint, ranita4ever, and dementia-notAhumanbeing. Also, you're going to see a fierce rivalry between the two within the next few chapters Imperial Mint. Thanks again for the reviews, and please don't forget I also except flames. See Ya!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3 The Call

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto

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><p>After the group finished up their meal and settled up the friends said their goodnights and went their separate ways. Naruto stood in front of the restaurant watching as his friends made their way back to their homes and apartments. Pulling out his cell phone, Naruto scrolled down the list until he came to Izumi's number. Composing his thoughts one more time, the blonde took a deep breath and pressed send. Holding his breath, Naruto waited as the phone rang. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four ri––click. A delicate female voice sounded over the line, "Hello?"<p>

Naruto almost dropped his phone in his rush to answer. "Uh...Hi Izumi it's...it's Naruto," the blonde stuttered. Naruto's heart pounded in his chest as he waited for a response. After a few moments, Izumi responded. "Hello Naruto, I'm surprised to be hearing from you at this hour, shouldn't you be home?"

"Ah...no, my mom and sister are working late, so I went out to meet a few old friends. Also, I'm sorry about calling you at this hour, but I wanted to ask you something."

"It's alright Naruto, what can I help you with?"

"Well...I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm free tomorrow night, what did you have in mind Naruto?"

"Umm..." Naruto faltered. Steeling his nerves, the blonde blurted out his question. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow and maybe catch a movie?"

The line was silent for a few moments. Naruto's heart sank, he feared the worst. Trembling, Naruto was just about to apologize for being too forward when Izumi spoke. "I would love to, Naruto. Could we meet at the children's park at around 6:30?"

Ecstatic, Naruto contained his joy and responded in a normal tone. "Sure, that sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Naruto."

Naruto was still smiling widely as he heard the tell tale click. Hanging up the phone, Naruto was about to slip it into his pocket, when he flicked it back open. Scrolling through the contact list, the blonde came to a stop at the number of one of his fellow blondes. Naruto listened impatiently as the phone rang. As soon as he heard the sound of the phone pick up, Naruto was already talking. "Ino, I need your help."

"What could you possibly need my help with?" Ino asked, stunned.

"I called Izumi."

Naruto held the phone well away from his ear as Ino joyfully squealed into the phone. Not losing a bit of that shrillness, Ino began her interrogation. "Well, how did it go? Did you get a date? Where are you going? What are you going to wear?"

Clearing his throat, Naruto cut Ino off before she could deafen him. "It went well, we're going out to dinner and a movie tomorrow night. I need to find someplace to take her for dinner as well as something to wear. Can you give me a hand around lunchtime tomorrow?"

Naruto could almost hear the blonde jumping up and down in the background. "Of course I can help Naruto," Ino said cheerfully. "Meet me at the mall food court at 1:00 tomorrow."

Naruto sighed in relief. "Thanks Ino, see you later then."

"See you Naruto."

Hanging up the phone Naruto began jogging home, smiling widely. He couldn't wait for tomorrow, breakfast made by his sister and a date with a beautiful woman. Nothing could dampen the blondes mood, not even the empty apartment waiting for him.

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><p>As soon as Ino hung up on Naruto, she immediately began calling all of her girlfriends. Quickly relating the tale to all of the girls, she begged her friends to meet her at the mall at 12:30 the next day. After getting off the phone with the last of her friends, she rubbed her hands together in anticipation of the day of shopping she would make Naruto go through. Ino couldn't wait.<p>

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><p>Hinata hung up the phone after Ino had finished telling her about her conversation with Naruto. Gaara looked over at his girlfriend walking alongside him. Leaning closer to the blue haired girl, the redhead asked, "What was that about?"<p>

Turning her gaze to her boyfriend, Hinata smiled gently. "Apparently right after we left Naruto called the girl from his school, Izumi. She agreed to go out with tomorrow. He called Ino right after he got off the phone with Izumi asking for help preparing. She called me asking for me to meet her tomorrow before she meets with Naruto."

Gaara nodded silently. The pair continued to walk on in silence, comfortable, yet something seemed to be weighing on Gaara. Hinata watched her boyfriend out of the corner of her eye, trying to figure out what was bothering him. She was startled when Gaara stopped walking suddenly. Coming to a stop, Hinata turned to face Gaara, a look of apprehension plastered on her face. She waited with bated breath to see what Gaara would do next.

Looking at his girlfriend, the youngest Sabaku sibling spoke. "Would you go on a date with me tomorrow?"

Hinata's eyes widened in shock. Gaara had never taken the initiative in asking her out before. Confused, Hinata took a moment to compose herself. Hinata smiled softly at Gaara and said, "I would love to. Can I ask something though? Why the sudden initiative?"

The corners of Gaara's mouth twitched upward slightly. Taking Hinata's hand, the redhead answered quietly. "I thought that if Naruto could work up the courage to ask someone out, I should at least be able to ask my own girlfriend out on a date."

Amused by his explanation, Hinata giggled shyly. Squeezing Gaara's hand, Hinata led him forward towards the train station. Leaning against her boyfriend's shoulder, Hinata closed her eyes and sighed. Nothing could make her happier than spending time with her boyfriend. Hinata couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

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><p>Sitting in the passenger's seat of her boyfriend's car, Temari listened as Ino related the information she had received from Naruto. Hanging up the phone, the blonde leaned back in the seat, rubbing her temples. Without looking over at his girlfriend, Shikamaru asked tiredly, "What did Ino want?"<p>

Sighing, Temari rolled her head towards Shikamaru and replied sullenly, "Apparently Naruto called that girl and now he needs help preparing for his date. Ino's roping us all into helping."

Pulling into the parking garage, Shikamaru laughed quietly. "Troublesome woman. Does Naruto know what he's getting himself into?"

Smiling at her blonde counterpart's misfortune, Temari shook her head. "Not a clue. Poor guy."

Getting out of the car, Shikamaru walked around the front and opened the car door for his girlfriend. Shaking his head, the Nara boy slouched his way towards the apartment stairwell. Calling back to the blonde, he said, "Well, try not to torture Naruto too much, he'll need his wits for his date."

Stopping, Shikamaru glanced back at Temari. Leaning against the doorjamb, Shikamaru smiled at the blonde. "So, since we both have to work tomorrow night, and you'll be busy at lunch, do you want to get breakfast tomorrow?" Shikamaru asked quietly.

Temari brushed past her boyfriend without a glance. As she stepped past she spoke in a haughty tone. "Ha, we were going to get breakfast together anyway, whether you liked it or not. Now, are you going to come? This is your apartment and I don't have a key."

Hanging his head in defeat, Shikamaru walked forward towards the stairs. Stepping on to the first step, Shikamaru stopped. The lazy brunette turned and kissed Temari briefly before continuing up the stairs. Blushing slightly, Temari smiled as she ran up the stairs after her boyfriend, happy to at least have gotten a date out of the lazy man.

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><p>Hanging up her cellphone, Sakura glanced towards her apartments bathroom. A few minutes before she had heard the shower stop, so the pinkette was waiting for the occupant to emerge. Closing her eyes and stretching, Sakura listened as the bathroom door opened. She listened as her boyfriend padded into the room. Leaning back on her bed, Sakura looked up at Kiba. He was standing just inside her bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hand which he was using to dry his hair. Letting the towel hang loosely in his hand, Kiba leaned back against the doorjamb. Nodding his head towards the cellphone lying on his girlfriend's pillow. "Who called?" he asked curiously.<p>

Only mildly surprised at Kiba's attention to detail, Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose in exhaustion before speaking one word, "Ino."

Kiba gave a barking laugh. "Let me guess. The dobe called that girl from his class and she said yes. So in his desperation, he called the last person he should have for help. Does he know Ino's going to bankrupt him before the date?"

Sakura gave a wry smile as she thought of her best friend's shopping habits. "Don't worry," she said. "Hinata, Temari and I are going too, this way he'll be able to actually take her on a date."

The couple shared a laugh at the blonde's upcoming torture. Smiling a feral smile, Kiba dropped both of his towels and rapidly strode to the bed and leaned over his girlfriend. Pressing his lips into the crook of the pinkette's neck, Kiba whispered lustily in her ear, "How about, after you girls go shopping tomorrow, you and I spend the whole day together, we can do whatever you want. What do you say?"

Sakura tried her hardest to focus on answering, but was distracted when Kiba began nipping at her collar bone. Grabbing her boyfriend by the shoulder, fisting the other hand in his brown locks, Sakura pulled the feral boy closer. Moaning hungrily, Sakura stammered out her response. "S-sure, j-ju-just don't s-stop."

Smiling at his girlfriend's response, Kiba pushed Sakura back onto the bed fully. Bringing his lips to hers, Kiba and Sakura kissed passionately. The pair's moans became louder as Sakura reached up to switch off the bedside lamp. As the light went out, all that could be heard was the couple's moans and the tell-tale thump of a cellphone hitting the floor.

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><p>Naruto slipped his key into the lock, oblivious to the hell he would go through tomorrow. After opening the door and slipping off his shoes, Naruto stepped into the living room and was surprised to see his sister sitting on the couch drinking tea. Turning her attention to the doorway, Shizune smiled at her little brother and patted the couch cushion next to her. Taking the hint, the blonde sat down next to the raven haired nurse. Exhausted from his evening, Naruto leaned over and rested his head on his sister's shoulder. Placing her teacup down on the side table, Shizune leaned her head against the top of her brother's. Sighing happily, Shizune closed her eyes and quietly asked, "Did you have a nice time with your friends?"<p>

Smiling contently, Naruto replied, "Yeah, it was nice to see them again, and they even helped me out with something."

"Oh, and what was that, Naruto?"

"Well," Naruto started. "I've got a date tomorrow."

Shizune's eyes snapped open. Straightening up, Shizune looked down at the younger blonde. "You have a date tomorrow?" She asked, incredulously.

Chuckling at his sister's surprise, Naruto shifted so his head was resting in his sister's lap. "Yeah, I told them about this girl that's in most of my classes. I really liked her, and from what I told them they thought she was interested in me. So I gave her a call and she said yes. We're meeting at 6:30 tomorrow. I was so nervous about the date after the call that I called Ino and asked her to give me a hand preparing tomorrow. So I'm meeting her for lunch, and if I know her she'll be bringing the rest of the girls with her."

Shizune smiled gently down at the blonde as she stroked his hair. "Well, do you want some advice from your big sister?" Shizune asked playfully.

Gazing up at his sister, Naruto nodded. Ruffling her brother's hair, Shizune said, "All you have to do is be yourself. If this girl really likes you, she'll like you for who you really are."

Sitting up, Naruto looked his sister in the eye and smiled widely. "Thanks Sis, I needed that."

Naruto grabbed his sister in a tight hug. Leaning into the hug, Shizune squeezed her little brother. After breaking apart, Naruto stood up and said goodnight. Saying goodnight to her little brother, Shizune watched as he made his way to his bedroom. As soon as his door closed, the raven haired nurse stood and picked up her teacup. Placing the cup in the sink, Shizune made sure the apartment was locked up tight before heading to bed herself. As she laid her head down on her pillow, Shizune hoped that all went well with her brother's date the next day.

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><p>AN: Sorry it's been a while, this chapter took a lot out of me. Thanks for sticking around for all this, and I have to say this now, but Chapter 4 will take a little while longer, something is just blocking me on it. Don't worry, it won't take to long though, Thanks.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 The Date

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto.

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><p>The sun had risen about an hour earlier when Shizune had decided to start making breakfast. Taking a moment before she started, she popped her head into Naruto's room. The younger blonde had curled himself into a tight ball, pulling the covers up to block out the light streaming in through his bedroom window. Giggling slightly at her brother's current position, Shizune backed out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Throwing a white apron on over her usual black house kimono, Shizune began making breakfast.<p>

About fifteen minutes later, Naruto awoke to the smell of cinnamon. Bursting out of the covers, the blonde barreled through the open bedroom door and into the hall. By the time he had reached the kitchen table, Shizune was already placing a plate of french toast in front of him. Loudly thanking his sister for the food, Naruto dug in with gusto. As Naruto started his second plate, his mother walked in.

Senju Tsunade had not changed much in the past thirteen years. Even at the age of 58, the blonde woman looked no older the her adopted daughter. Though there were many rumors as to her secret, ranging from a complex illusion to eternal youth, the elder blonde would tell no one. This morning, however, Tsunade truly felt her age. After a complex surgery at the hospital last night, Tsunade had gone out for a quick drink afterwards. Her "quick" drink had lasted the better part of three hours and left her almost too intoxicated to make it home. Now, severely hung over, Tsunade glared at her boisterous, blonde son.

As Shizune placed a cup of tea and a plate of french toast and aspirin in front of her adoptive mother, she shot Naruto a glance, warning him not to antagonize Tsunade. Smiling at his sister's look, Naruto spoke in a loud tone. "That was great Sis! Here, let me help clean up."

Pushing his chair back so that it scraped against the floor shrilly, Naruto piled his and Shizune's empty plates on top of each other, noisily clinking the silverware together. Dropping them in the sink with a crash, the younger blonde turned around just in time to catch a teacup thrown by his older blonde counterpart. Naruto continued to smile innocently as his guardian gave him a look that would cause most men to soil themselves. Speaking once again in that loud tone, Naruto asked, "Is something wrong, Mom?"

Shizune backed up slowly as her mother rose and clenched her fist. Quickly crossing to the sink, the blonde woman gripped the front of her son's shirt and lifted him off the ground. Roaring in the boy's face, Tsunade asked, "DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH, BRAT?"

The outburst had the desired effect, as Tsunade dropped her son in favor of holding her throbbing head. Reaching his hands up to massage his mother's temples, Naruto whispered quietly, "The last part was your own fault. The rest was to teach you not to drink so much, Mom."

Leading the irritated blonde back to her seat, Naruto poured her another cup of tea before taking his own. Taking a bite of her french toast, Tsunade stared at her son as he sat across from her smiling slightly. Washing the french toast down with some tea, the blonde doctor grunted and asked her son, "What's got you so happy today?"

Shizune, who had stayed towards the outside of the kitchen, answered for him. "He has a date tonight."

Tsunade, who had just taken another bite of french toast, began choking. Coughing and pounding her chest, Tsunade quickly dislodged the offending morsel. Taking the glass of water Shizune offered, the doctor drained it before giving her son a shocked expression. "You have a date tonight?"

Rolling his eyes at his mother's disbelief, Naruto stood before replying. "Yeah, I have a date, thanks for the support, _Mom_. I'm meeting Ino and the girls at the mall around lunchtime. They're helping me pick out some stuff to wear, and don't worry Sis, I won't let them take over."

Walking out of the kitchen, Naruto called back over his shoulder, "I'm gonna go for a run, so I won't see you when you head out, but have a good day. Oh, and Mom?"

"What Brat?" Tsunade asked.

"Try to take it easy, Shizune and I can't always take care of you." With that, Naruto left. Grunting derisively at his comment, Tsunade took her finished plate of food and placed it in the sink. "Who does that brat think he is? I'm doing just fine, despite my age."

"I think your age is what he's worried about," Shizune muttered under her breath as she rinsed her mother's dirty plate. Oblivious to her daughter's comment, Tsunade made her way to the bathroom to finish getting ready for work.

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><p>Around 11:30 Naruto returned from his run. Making his way to the bathroom, Naruto quickly stripped off his sweaty clothes and stepped in shower. Running the hot water over his exhausted frame, the blonde took his time in cleaning himself. About twenty minutes later, Naruto was toweling himself off as he headed into his bedroom. Riffling through his drawers, the blonde pulled out a pair of black boxers and some socks. Grabbing a pair of faded blue jeans and an orange t-shirt, the blonde threw them on before slipping on a pair of black sneakers. Grabbing his keys and wallet, Naruto made his way out of the apartment and hurried to the mall.<p>

Forty-Five minutes later Naruto was hurrying to the food court. Reaching the food court, Naruto quickly scanned the tables until he found the one he was looking for. Approaching the table, Naruto called out to the girls. "How did I know that Ino would invite all of you?" The blonde asked, laughing. The girls turned to see Naruto hovering over the back on Ino's chair. After exchanging greetings, the group left the table and began heading towards one of the department stores. Placing a hand on Ino's shoulder, Naruto whispered in her ear, "You do know that this is a shopping trip for me, not for you right?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. We won't make you carry our bags, we'll help you find some good stuff and give you some coaching, and then it'll be all set," Ino said, rolling her eyes. As the group entered the Men's section of the store, Ino stopped the girls and stepped in front of them. "Aright Ladies, spread out. Each of us will pick out an outfit for Whiskers here," she said, pointing at Naruto. "We'll meet back here in half an hour, then we'll see which outfit is best. Ready? Break!"

At Ino's command, the girls split up and made their way deep into the racks of clothes. "Alright Whiskers, go wait by the dressing rooms. We'll meet you there," the blonde said as she walked away. Naruto waited a moment, watching the girls spread out further into the store, before making his way towards the dressing rooms. Spotting two seats next to the entrance, Naruto nodded to the dark-haired man seated there. The man nodded back as he slipped his hand into his coat pocket. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, the man went to remove one when he noticed Naruto's look of surprise. Sighing, the man slipped the pack back into his pocket and leaned back in the chair. As Naruto waited for the girls, he noticed that the man kept looking over at him. Before Naruto could ask the man what was wrong, a beautiful raven-haired woman came out of the dressing room.

She was wearing a black and white dress with red accents. The woman stepped in front the dark-haired man and gave a little twirl. "Well, what do you think of this one?"

The man looked her up and down and nodded his approval. "It looks good," he said. The woman smiled and trotted back into the dressing room. After the woman returned to the dressing room, the man leaned over towards Naruto and asked, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Surprised by the man's abrupt question, the blonde looked over the other man. Upon further study, Naruto realized that the man did seem familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "I'm not sure," the blonde replied. "But you do seem familiar. I think we have met before."

Scanning the dark haired man one more time, Naruto snapped his fingers. "I know what it is," he said. "You remind me a little of my Grandfather, if he was a lot younger of course."

The other man snorted humorously at Naruto's comment. "Well thanks. Who's your Grandfather?" The man added as an after thought.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen. He passed away a few years ago, but he took care of me when I was a child, since I was the son of one of his close friends."

The man's eyes widened at this. "Sarutobi Hiruzen was your Grandfather? He's my Father!"

The shock of this revelation cause Naruto to jump in his chair. He let out a sharp laugh as the man continued. "Now I remember why you're so familiar kid, I remember seeing you at the funeral. I'm just glad that he and I were able to reconcile before he passed away. But, enough of this gloom. I haven't fully introduced myself, Sarutobi Asuma."

Asuma extended a hand to the young blonde. "Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you Asuma."

"Likewise kid, so what brings you here today?" Asuma asked.

"Some friends are helping my get some new threads for tonight. I've got a date with this girl from my school. I'm so nervous," Naruto blurted out. He was sitting with his hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly. Asuma could see the tension roll off the young man in waves. Deciding to put the younger man's mind at ease, Asuma leaned back in his chair before speaking. "Relax kid. You're so nervous about this date, but just remember one thing. She said yes when you asked. That's the most important thing."

Asuma watched out of the corner of his eye as Naruto's body visibly relaxed. As Naruto relaxed, he saw a flash of sandy blonde making its way through the racks towards him. As Temari stepped out of the racks of clothes, she quickly shooed Naruto out of his chair. Draping the outfit over the arm of the chair, Temari collapsed into the plush seat. "Troublesome," she muttered, sighing heavily.

Naruto snickered at the blonde girl's use of her boyfriend's favorite word. Temari flashed one of her patented "death glares" before relaxing further into the chair. Naruto gave Temari's shoulder a calming squeeze before asking, "So what's got you so tired today?"

"Late night with Shika, followed by a breakfast date. The date was nice, but it was too early," Temari moaned. Shaking his head at normally aggressive girl, Naruto wondered how someone as lazy as Shikamaru could exhaust his fellow blonde so much. Muffling a chuckle at the thought, Naruto noticed three flashes of color moving towards them. Blue, Pink, and Blonde hair was seen moving closer to the dressing rooms until finally the girls stepped out of the racks.

As the rest of the girls arrived, the dark haired woman returned from the dressing room. She turned to Asuma and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Asuma lifted himself out of the plush chair and nodded. "Yeah Kurenai, I'm ready. Oh, Kurenai, this is Uzumaki Naruto, my father helped raise him. Naruto, this is my fiancee Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Hello Naruto, it's nice to meet you," Kurenai said, bowing slightly.

"Likewise, Kurenai. It's nice to meet you," Naruto replied, matching her bow.

As the two men shook hands, Asuma leaned in and whispered, "I'm living in my father's house now. So if you ever need some advice, you know where to find me."

Stepping back, Asuma gave Naruto a curt nod, which the blonde matched. Tossing an arm around Kurenai's shoulder, the couple disappeared into the racks. Naruto gazed out over the racks of clothes for a moment before returning his attention to the four girls with him. "Okay ladies, now that you're all here, how about I try this stuff on already?"

"Yes, take this stuff and get in there Whiskers," Ino ordered. The blonde girl passed Naruto a few hangers full of clothes. Taking the hangers, Naruto slipped into the dressing room. Several minutes later, Naruto emerged in his first outfit. The blonde man was wearing a pair of navy blue slacks and a royal purple t-shirt over a long-sleeved white collared shirt. After rotating around for the girls to get a good look, Naruto turned his attention to Ino. "I hate to say this Ino, but purple really isn't my color. Something just doesn't feel right."

Ino had a pensive look on her face. She stood and circled the blonde once more before speaking. "You're right, I had hoped that this would look better, but no. Alright, mine's out, on to the next outfit."

Smacking her fellow blonde playfully on the back, the girls waited as Naruto returned to the dressing room. After waiting a little longer than the first time, Naruto emerged again. This time he was wearing khaki pants with a black t-shirt with a mottled white pattern. Over the t-shirt was a deep red, button-down shirt only buttoned halfway. On top of his head was a black felt fedora with a white band around the brim. Rotating again for the girls to see, Naruto didn't even stop before he addressed the girls. "No offense Sakura, but this isn't right either. I am glad you didn't give me anything pink though," he said with a foxy grin.

After Sakura had smacked Naruto, he slunk back into the dressing room rubbing the back of his head. The girls all giggled at the pairs antics, while Sakura huffed in irritation. A few minutes passed before Naruto returned, eyeing the pinkette warily. This time he was wearing khaki pants once again, but this time he also had a dark brown collared shirt with an earthy green t-shirt over it. Once again, Naruto rotated around, showing the girls his latest outfit. Giving Temari a sour look Naruto muttered, "You weren't really trying, Temari."

Smiling at the blonde's comment, Temari nodded nonchalantly. Shaking his head sadly, Naruto's shoulders slumped as he re-entered the dressing room for the fourth time. The girls did not have to wait long for Naruto to return. This time, they heard the boisterous blonde before they saw him. "Thank you Hinata, I knew I should have just asked you from the start."

The rest of the girls laughed as the blue haired girl blushed scarlet. When Naruto emerged from the dressing room the girls fell silent. The blonde man was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans with an orange button-down shirt over a black t-shirt. Over the button-down was a lightweight black sports coat. Naruto rotated around to let the girls see all of the outfit. When he had finished rotating, the girls were still silent. Then, suddenly, they started clapping. The blonde was bombarded by complements from all the girls, as well as several wolf whistles from Ino. Blushing at Ino's reaction, Naruto excused himself and darted back into the dressing room. Once he was back in his own clothes, Naruto and the girls made his way to the register to purchase the outfit.

As soon as he was finished paying, the fivesome made their way out of the store. As they exited, the group began breaking up. Temari excused herself and left for work. Hinata smiled at them and gave them a little bow as she left to get ready for her date with Gaara. As the remaining three made their way through the mall, they were caught by surprise when Kiba arrived. Wrapping an arm around his pink-haired girlfriends waist, he dragged her away for their date. Waving goodbye to her friends, Sakura leaned into her boyfriend and the pair walked off. The two remaining members of the little shopping trip looked at each other. Before Naruto could thank Ino for all her help, the blonde girl punched him playfully in the shoulder. "You'd better do a good job tonight," Ino said, smiling widely. Ino skipped ahead of Naruto, keeping her back to him as she continued to speak. "I'm glad you're finally dating again. If you didn't start soon, I'd have scooped you up myself."

Ino came to a brief stop, before quickly uttering a quiet goodbye and rushing off. Naruto smiled sadly at the retreating blonde's back. He knew what Ino was hinting at, and felt sad that he couldn't make her happy. He wished he could do something for her, but he was in love with Izumi and needed to see this through. Turning the other way, Naruto made his way out of the mall and headed home to prepare for his date that evening.

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><p>After a quick shower and shave, Naruto dressed himself in his new outfit. Grabbing his wallet and keys Naruto scrawled a quick note for his mother and sister. Closing the apartment door behind himself, the blonde quickly ran out to meet his date. Keeping his pace even so as not to overheat and stain his new outfit with sweat, Naruto made his way to the children's park. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was 6:15. As Naruto entered the park, he quickly scanned the crowds of parents with their children looking for his date. Shortly after the blonde's gaze passed the fountain, Naruto noticed a raven haired girl in a knee-length black dress, her hands clasped together in front of her.<p>

As he walked over to her, Naruto looked her over, taking in her appearance. She was about a head shorter than him and her silky raven hair was tied back in a ponytail that came down to the middle of her back. A few of those silky tresses framed her beautiful, heart-shaped face. Naruto's gaze lingered over her full, red lips and aquiline nose. What entranced Naruto the most was her large, dark eyes and deep, pronounced tear troughs. The combination of the two gave her a somber look. In fact, her overall appearance seemed more suited to a funeral than a date. That didn't matter to Naruto, however, all he knew was that she was beautiful, no matter what she looked like or wore.

"Hi Izumi. Sorry, did you wait long?" Naruto asked tentatively as he reached her. A moment passed before Izumi gave him a delicate smile. Naruto felt a blush spread across his face as she spoke in a quiet tone. "Hello Naruto. Thank you, and it's alright I haven't been here long. I came a little early so I could watch the children play."

Naruto tore his gaze away from her eyes as he studied the children playing happily around them. "So, you like children?" Naruto asked her, instantly cursing his awkward nature. In response to his question, Izumi raised one delicate hand to stifle a giggle. Naruto knew then he would do whatever it took to get her to laugh again, even play the fool. Smiling sadly, Izumi looked out past the fountain as she spoke. "Yes, I hope to have someone myself one day. But, they also remind me of my little brother, before my parents had their accident."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Naruto stammered out apologetically.

"No, it's alright. I've made my peace with it, but my brother never has," Izumi said quietly. Her eyes dropped a little, and Naruto placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Before he could say anything, however, Izumi shook her head and smiled up at him. "Well, enough of this depressing talk. So, what did you have planned for tonight?"

"Uh...well, I was thinking that you and I could go see a movie and then get something to eat."

"That sounds wonderful," she purred. Sliding her arm through the crook in Naruto's, Izumi stepped closer to him, her shoulder pressed against his. Still smiling, Izumi started to lead Naruto out of the park. The pair walked in blissful silence, both stealing secret glances at each other. Naruto couldn't help but notice how the setting sun seemed to light up her somber features. As the couple arrived at the theater, Naruto lead his date over to the marquee to choose a movie. He watched passively as Izumi gazed up at the movies, scanning the titles for one that seemed interesting. After a few moments, Izumi strode confidently over to the counter and asked for two tickets to a horror movie that had just been released. Naruto pulled out his wallet and quickly paid the cashier the 3600 yen and accepted the tickets. Taking the tickets over to the usher, the couple handed them over and for him to rip. Naruto accepted the stubs from the usher and passed one to Izumi. Leading her to the designated theater, the couple took a seat towards the back of the theater. With Izumi seated to his left, Naruto made sure to lean towards that side as the lights began to dim.

The movie had turned out to be scarier than Naruto expected. The terrifying images were spreading fear all through his body, the blonde was frozen in place. The images became more and more graphic, and it took all of Naruto's being not to flee the theater. Suddenly, the blonde felt two dainty hands gripping his jacket. Naruto glanced to his left to see Izumi shivering in terror, her eyes wide as the horror on screen escalated. At that moment, horrific climax of the scene occurred and Izumi buried her raven haired head in Naurto's chest. Naruto placed his right hand on the back of Izumi's head and held her there until the violence had ended. After the scene had ended fully, Naruto whispered in Izumi's ear, "We don't have to stay if you don't want to. I don't want you to be scared."

Izumi was still shivering as she nodded to Naruto. "Okay," Naruto said as he patted her shoulder. Making sure to stay hunched over, Naruto stood and led Izumi out of the theater. He took special care to insure that Izumi could not see the screen as they departed. A few moments later, the couple was standing outside in the brisk night air. Izumi stayed clutching Naruto's jacket as she spoke. "I'm so sorry, Naruto. I had no idea the movie would be that scary."

"It's alright, Izumi. To be honest, I was about run out of the theater myself." Naruto said with a laugh.

Izumi gazed up at Naruto with a surprised expression. For a moment she stood there, staring at him. Then, she released his jacket and began laughing. It was a melodic, intoxicating laugh. Naruto blushed as she calmed down and placed a dainty hand on Naruto's chest. Smiling at her date, Izumi slipped her hand into Naruto's and said, "Well, aren't we a pair. I guess we'll have to choose a different movie next time."

Naruto's face brightened at her statement. Next time. Now he was certain that there would be one. "Well, we'll have to keep that in mind. How about we go get dinner now?" Naruto asked, interlocking his fingers with Izumi's. Leaning against his shoulder, Izumi nodded slightly. "So, what did you have in mind for dinner?" She asked with an inquisitive expression.

"Well, it's a little shop not too far from here. I know it's not the kind of place you'd go on a first date, but I think you're really going to like it," Naruto replied. He began leading Izumi down the street to the restaurant. Molding her body to his, Izumi spoke in a quiet tone. "I'm sure the restaurant will be wonderful."

Naruto was on cloud nine as the pair walked through the crowded streets. The pair walked in comfortable silence, saving conversation for the restaurant. As the couple continued to walk, Izumi noticed the thinning crowds. Giving Naruto a confused look, the blonde gave her a smile and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we're almost there," Naruto assured her. A few minutes later Naruto and Izumi came to a stop outside of a small ramen stand named Ramen Ichiraku. Releasing Izumi's hand, Naruto stepped towards the restaurant. Opening the door, the blonde motioned for Izumi to enter. Walking past her date, the raven haired girl entered the stand. Izumi sat down at the counter and gazed around the restaurant. Izumi quickly noticed that they seemed to be the only people currently in the building. As Naruto sat down at the counter, however, she realized that she was wrong.

Just as the blonde sat down on the stool to Izumi's left, a brunette woman about Izumi's age emerged from the kitchen. Spotting the young couple at the counter, the woman put on a big smile and bounced over to the counter shouting, "NARUTO! It's been so long, how are you? And who is this lovely lady?"

Naruto and Izumi both blushed at the woman's greeting. Taking the initiative, Naruto began making introductions. "Hey Ayame, I've been good, still trying to get Mom to cut back though, you know. Anyway, Ayame, this is Izumi. She's my classmate, and we're out on a date tonight. Izumi, this is Ayame. She and her father own this place, they've always taken good care of me. Ayame's been like a sister to me all these years."

Ayame cheeks flushed at Naruto's comment. "Aww...you are so sweet. Well then, what can I get this lovely couple?"

Glancing at Izumi for a second before speaking, Naruto ordered for both of them. "Can we get an order of miso ramen for me and an order of dango for Izumi?"

Smiling professionally, Ayame nodded her confirmation and went to go take care of their orders. Turning on his stool to face Izumi, Naruto asked, "So what do you think?"

Turning to face Naruto herself, Izumi responded. "I love it. It has such a cozy feel to it."

"That's great, I'm so glad you like it," Naruto said with a sigh of relief.

"So, how did you find this place, Naruto?"

"Well, it was when I was still living with my grandfather. His house actually isn't that far from here. Anyway, I was playing in the neighborhood when I got lost. I wandered around for over an hour before I broke down. As I started crying, that's when Ayame found me. She asked me what was wrong, and then brought me back here. Her old man, Teuchi, set a bowl of miso ramen in front of me and told me to eat up. I'd never had ramen before, so I had no idea what to expect. Teuchi was so shocked by how fast I was eating the ramen, that I had finished four bowls before he asked me who my grandfather was. It was another 8 bowls before Grandpa showed up. Teuchi was nice enough not to charge Grandpa for all the ramen I ate. Grandpa took me back a few days later and that was it. I've been coming here ever since. Even after Grandpa got sick and his old student adopted me, I've always made time to come here."

It was at that moment that Ayame returned with their orders. Placing their dishes in front of them, Ayame leaned over the counter and addressed Izumi. "Yeah, little Naruto here has been coming here for the past 18 years. Usually he's alone or with his sister, but this is the first time he's ever brought someone who's not family. And to think he'd bring such a pretty girl with him."

Ayame gave Naruto a sly smirk and skipped back to the kitchen, though the couple could tell that she stayed with in earshot. Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Naruto gave Izumi an uneasy smile. Izumi gave Naruto a quick glance before plucking one of the skewers off the plate. Tasting one of the dango, Izumi gave Naruto a blissful smile. Placing the skewer back on the plate, Izumi gave Naruto a sly look. "So, you never told me you had a sister, or that you were adopted. Can I ask you about that?" She asked, shyly looking away.

Naruto looked away and picked up his chopsticks. Snapping them apart, used them to stir his ramen in contemplation. Putting the chopsticks down on the counter, Naruto started his tale. "It's not something I like to go into a lot, but you deserve to know. My birth parents were Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato. I never got to know them, my mother died giving birth to me. My father fell into depression and got very sick. He passed away a few months after I was born. After that my father's old boss, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took me in. He was like a grandfather to me. Grandpa took care of my until I was seven, but then his health took a dive. He called two of his old students, Senju Tsunade and her ex-husband Jiraiya. That's when I found out that Jiraiya was my godfather. Hell of a job he did. Anyway, Tsunade and I really hit it off, after a few weeks, she adopted me without any interference from Jiraiya.

"At first, I was super excited to finally have a mother, and when I found out I'd also have a sister I was even happier. Shizune was really nice to me, despite being fifteen years my senior. She was going to medical school at the time, but she always tried to make time for me. Once she graduated though, she started working with Mom at the hospital. Once they were both working there however they were almost never home. I was pretty much living alone at that point. I know it may not be a perfect family, but I love them. I don't mind not seeing them, I know they're working hard to save lives. So can I ask you something?"

"Sure Naruto, you can ask anything," Izumi replied sweetly.

"Can I ask about your parents accident?"

Izumi's expression softened and she got a very sad look in her eyes. Placing the now empty skewer back on the plate, Izumi steepled her fingers and looked away from Naruto. "Well, I guess that's fair since I asked about your family. I was 14 and my brother was 9, our parents had gone out to dinner for their anniversary. I was babysitting my little brother that night and he wanted to watch a movie. He chose a horror movie, and he made me watch it with him. I was so scared by the time it was over that I called my parents at dinner and asked them to come home. My mother convinced Father to leave the restaurant and they got in the car and started for home. Unfortunately, Father had been drinking. They were halfway home when Father lost control of the car. They were killed on impact. My brother blames me for my parents death, he hasn't forgiven me since."

Izumi was almost in tears by the end of her tale. Naruto quickly wrapped an arm around Izumi and pulled her close. "It's okay, it's not your fault. It was an accident, I'm sure some day your brother will realize that."

Izumi dried her eyes and looked up at Naruto. "Thank you Naruto, I needed that."

The pair continued their meal, exchanging depressing tales for more light-hearted small talk. They talked about movies and books, as well as their teachers and upcoming assignments. They finished their meal not long after and Naruto paid their bill. Bidding goodbye to Ayame and giving their best wishes to her father, Naruto led Izumi out of the restaurant. They continued to make small talk as Naruto walked Izumi home to her apartment. As the pair approached Izumi's building, Naruto noticed a shadowy figure seated outside of the complex. When they got closer, Naruto realized who it was, Uchiha Sasuke. Before the blonde could ask his rival what he was doing there, Izumi shocked him with her actions. Releasing Naruto's hand, Izumi stepped towards Sasuke, who rose to face her. With a quizzical expression gracing her perfect features she asked, "What are you doing here, Brother?"

Naruto was floored by Izumi's statement. To think that his perfect girl was the older sister to his most hated rival. As Naruto looked back and forth between the two, he wondered what he should do now.

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><p>AN: Well, this took longer than I thought. Things have been so hectic at work lately, along with trying to write the perfect date scene have made things difficult. Anyway, I know that someone out there is going to say that FemItachi is OOC, but c'mon, think about it. As a girl it's understandable that she would have a different personality. Also, this is my fic, so I can do whatever I want with the characters. Anyway, thanks for reading this, and please review.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5 Revelations

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto.

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><p>Naruto glared pointedly at his rival. Still trying to wrap his head around the fact that the beautiful, sweet Izumi was related to the rude, crass Sasuke, Naruto almost missed Sasuke's insult. "So, Sister, why are you with this dobe?" Sasuke asked, his voice laced with contempt. Naruto clenched his fist and made a move towards the raven haired jerk. The blonde was surprised when a delicate hand blocked his path. "Do not insult my date, Brother. Naruto is a kind person, and I happen to care for him deeply."<p>

Izumi's comment had two different effects on the males present. Naruto blushed fiercely at the thought of Izumi caring for him. Sasuke, however, went into a rage. "You care...for...for this...this DOBE! He's a loser, and he'll always be a loser."

What happened next stunned all of them. SLAP! Sasuke reeled backwards, holding his cheek where his sister had slapped him. His shock quickly turned to anger and Sasuke took a swing at Izumi. Seeing the blow coming, Naruto stepped into it's path, catching his rival's fist before he could strike anyone. Releasing Sasuke's fist, Naruto placed an arm protectively around Izumi's shoulders. "Be careful what you do next, Sasuke," Naruto said venomously. "The only reason why I haven't beaten you into the ground yet is because you're Izumi's brother."

Snorting in contempt at the blonde's threat, Sasuke ignored him. Staring directly at Izumi, Sasuke said, "I didn't come here to fight. I came because you owe me something. Let's go up stairs and discuss this."

Enraged by Sasuke's blatant disrespect, Naruto responded angrily, "Oi, what right do you have to order your sister around? She's too nice to be treated like this."

"What do you know, Dobe? Stay out of our family life, you know nothing about it."

"I know more than you think, Teme. But tell me, how much does Izumi know about your life?"

Sasuke froze at that statement. Before he could retaliate, however, Izumi spoke up. "That's enough you two. Sasuke, go upstairs, we'll discuss what ever it is you came here for."

Shooting one last hate-filled glare at the blonde, Sasuke stalked upstairs, leaving the couple alone. Turning to her date, Izumi smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about him, I don't know what has him so irritated."

"It was probably me," Naruto confessed. "He and I have hated each other for years. He's always felt the need to show me up, he can't stand to see me happy."

"I'm sorry about that, and I'm sorry our date ended so badly," Izumi apologized.

"Don't worry about it, excluding Sasuke, it's been a pretty good night. I'm just shocked that he's your brother. I didn't expect that."

Izumi's eyes dropped to the ground timidly. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"N-n-no! It's not a problem. Who you're related to doesn't matter to me, all that matters is who you are," Naruto assured her.

When Izumi looked up, she was smiling. Brushing a tear from her eye, she said, "Thank you, Naruto. That means a lot to me. I should go see what my brother wants. I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

"Of course. Have a good night, Izumi." Naruto said, smiling his trademark foxy grin. Leaning in he gave Izumi a gentle kiss on the cheek. Stepping back, blush evident on both of their faces, Naruto turned to leave, giving Izumi a wave goodbye. Izumi gave Naruto a wave back, before turning to enter her apartment building. Once the front door closed, Naruto looked away and slipped his hands into his coat pockets. Whistling a happy tune, Naruto made his way home, hoping his sister would still be up and willing to talk, the blonde really needed some advice right now.

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><p>Shortly after Naruto and Izumi left Ramen Ichiraku, Ayame began cleaning up for closing. She had almost finished wiping down the counter when a blonde woman entered. Noticing that Ayame was cleaning up, the blonde woman turned to leave. Apologetically, she said, "Sorry, I didn't realized you were closed."<p>

Waving the woman off, Ayame motioned the woman to a spot of the counter she hadn't yet cleaned. "Don't worry, we haven't closed yet. Have a seat, what can I get you?"

Taking a seat, the woman ordered. "One miso ramen please."

"Ah, another miso ramen, popular tonight," Ayame noted.

The blonde woman seemed to perk up at that comment. "I take it Naruto was here then?" She asked.

Ayame gave the blonde woman a confused look. "Do you know Naruto?"

"Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. We've known each other since we were kids. I used to pick on him a lot back then, but he always stuck around. As we got older he and I would hang out together, until I started dating. He was still around, but a lot of my boyfriend's didn't like him. Despite all that, though, he was always there for me after a break up. He's a really sweet guy, and after a while, I felt like I was falling for him. When we reached high school, I kinda stopped dating, and started hanging out with him more an more. I could never tell him how I felt, he was in love with my best friend. After this jerk asked her out before Naruto, he got more subdued. He had no interest in dating, and I was so afraid he'd reject me outright.

"When he fell off the map after graduation, I was worried. He wouldn't return my calls and was never home. Eventually, I decided I'd wait for him to come to me. I was a fool. I should have told him how I felt, but I was too much of a coward. Now, the man I love is in love with someone else, and he'll never see me in that way. I just wish it could be me with him, but I'm glad that he's happy. I'll always be there to support him, no matter what."

The blonde woman was in tears by the end of her tale. Ayame passed her a clean towel so she could dry her eyes. Placing the bowl of miso ramen in front of the woman, Ayame grasped the woman's hand. Stroking the back of her hand sympathetically, Ayame spoke confidently. "I can understand how you feel, but don't worry. I know Naruto, and even with this other woman in his life, he'll never forget his friends. He'll still always be there for you, so even if you can't be with him romantically, you can always stay beside him, as a friend."

The blonde woman gave a little sniffle. She smiled brightly through her still flowing tears at the ramen waitress. Pulling her hand free, she picked up and split her chopsticks. Pointing them at Ayame, she gave the waitress a foxy grin. "Don't worry, Whiskers isn't getting rid of me that easily. I'll always be there to make sure he doesn't screw anything up."

Digging into her ramen, the blonde woman listened as Ayame told her stories of her blonde love's childhood. Laughing, the blonde woman traded back some tales about Naruto. The pair carried on telling tales late into the night, both women enjoying the antics of their favorite blonde.

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><p>Sabaku Gaara was one of the most influential CEO's in the entire city. He was also the youngest. He was also dating the eldest daughter of one of his biggest supporters. Hyuuga Hinata was heir to the Hyuuga Group, a powerful optics research group. They developed many of the technologies used in top shelf monitoring systems, like the systems used and developed by Kazekage Industries. Kazekage Industries and the Hyuuga Group worked closely together developing security systems used by many museums and private collectors the world over. Tonight, Sabaku Gaara hoped to bring that relationship even closer. Tonight, Gaara intended to propose.<p>

His brother Kankuro had told him a marriage to Hyuuga Hinata would secure the future of his company, as well as solidify a monopoly on the security and monitoring systems market. A union between the two would be beneficial to all parties. This thought got him promptly smacked by their elder sister, Temari. Gaara agreed with everything that Kankuro said, but that was not Gaara's reason for proposing. Gaara was proposing because he was in love.

For the past six months, Gaara and Hinata had been dating. The two had been introduced by Temari's boyfriend, Nara Shikamaru. At first the two were too shy to speak to each other. Gaara had always been a quiet child, the youngest of three children had left him eclipsed by his siblings. Hinata was a timid girl, afraid of offending anyone. Her father didn't believe that she had the strength to run his company after he retired. When the two finally sat down together and spoke without any distractions, they realized how much they had in common.

Gaara and Hinata spent a few weeks after that getting to know each other better. They had begun dating secretly, since they valued their privacy. After a few months, they had gone public with their relationship, first to Gaara's siblings, then to Hinata's family. Temari and Kankuro were very accepting of his relationship. Temari had a genuine desire to see her little brother happy, while Kankuro knew it would be good not only for him but for the company. Hinata's father was not as accepting. He was always disappointed by his daughter, and was afraid that her relationship with his business partner could damage his company's reputation. Despite her father's reservations, he could not stop them without the fear of damaging their partnership.

Ignoring the skeptics, the couple continued their romance. They began to spend more an more time together, taking walks in the park or just reading in Gaara's apartment. They were so much in love that it didn't matter what they did, as long as they did it together. Now, after six months, Gaara was finally ready to take that next step. Pulling up outside of the Hyuuga residence, Gaara set the car in neutral before stepping around the car towards the front door. As soon as Gaara approached the door, it slid open to reveal Hinata's father, Hiashi.

The head of the Hyuuga Group looked down at the young CEO with a stern visage. Hiashi's eyes were cold as he greeted his younger counterpart. "Good Evening, Sabaku. I assume you are here to pick up my daughter?"

"Yes Hyuuga, I am here for Hinata, but there is something I wish to say to you first," Gaara replied. Walking up to Hiashi, Gaara stood level with him. Matching Hiashi's cold gaze, Gaara spoke. "I intend to take your daughter out for dinner tonight, and during that meal, I intend to ask for her hand in marriage. I intend to do this, with or without your blessing. I love your daughter, more than anything else. If she asked it of me, I'd give up everything for her."

Stepping away from Hiashi, Gaara clasped his hands together behind his back and waited. Hiashi stood in stunned silence, not knowing what to say to the young CEO. Before he could form a thought, Hinata appeared at the door. The two men turned to look at her, and she smiled at them. "Good Evening Father, Gaara. Are we ready to go?"

The red-head extended a hand to his blue-haired love and smiled brightly. "Yes, my dear. I made reservations at your favorite restaurant. Chouji is working there tonight, so we can be certain the food will be good."

Smiling warmly at her boyfriend's remark, Hinata took the proffered hand and allowed Gaara to escort her to the car. As she sat down in the passenger seat of the car, she gave her father a small wave. Hiashi stood impassively, the cold look never leaving his stern features. Gaara closed the driver's side door and started his car. Taking one last chance to glare at Hiashi, Gaara pulled away from the Hyuuga home. They traveled in blissful silence down the road to the restaurant, Hinata occasionally sneaking glances at her boyfriend.

Gaara pulled up to the valet station and shifted his car into park. Stepping out of the vehicle, Gaara waved off the valet and slipped around the car to the passenger door. Opening the door for his beautiful girlfriend, Gaara helped her out of the car before motioning for the valet to take care of it. With Hinata holding onto his arm, Gaara led her into the restaurant. Meeting the hostess at the front of the dining room, Gaara checked his reservation. Noting his name, the hostess greeted the couple warmly and led them into the dining room. Seating them at a table towards the center of the room, the hostess placed a menu in front of each of them before excusing herself.

The couple ordered their dinner and began chatting quietly about unimportant things, like books they had been reading or something they had seen while out for a walk. The food arrived and the couple enjoyed their meal in relative silence. Sharing a few bites from each dish between each other, Gaara and Hinata finished their meal. As their plates were cleared away, Gaara reached across the table and clasped Hinata's hand. Absently stroking the back of her hand, Gaara smiled softly. "Hinata, how long have we been together now?" Gaara asked quietly.

"It has been around six months, Gaara. Why do you ask?" Hinata replied.

"Do you think six months is enough time to really get to know someone? Is it enough time to fall in love?"

Hinata's smile slipped into a confused expression. Gaara had never spoken like this before, and it was scaring her. Hinata was afraid that Gaara didn't love her anymore. Gaara gazed intently into Hinata's eyes and released her hand. Leaning back in his chair, Gaara slipped his left hand into his pocket. "Hinata," Gaara started, getting up from his chair. "I love you, I know that. I know that nothing will ever change that."

Hinata's eyes widened. She watched in awe as Gaara came around to her side of the table and knelt down in front of her. Pulling a small box out of his pocket, Gaara opened it to reveal a diamond ring. It was then that Gaara asked the question that would change both of their lives forever. "Hinata, will you marry me?"

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><p>Haruno Sakura paced back and forth in her apartment's tiny bathroom. It was late at night and her boyfriend Kiba was asleep in the other room. Sakura stopped and placed her hands on the bathroom door, leaning in close to listen to the quiet snores of her boyfriend. As annoying as they had first been, Sakura couldn't imagine sleeping without them now. The pinkette was broken from her reverie by the dull chime of her phone's alarm. Darting back across the bathroom, Sakura grabbed the test from where she had left it on the edge of the sink. Her bright green eyes scanned the test, studying the result intently.<p>

Sakura's eyes widened and she slumped down on to the toilet seat. The test hung loosely from her hand. Glancing at it again, Sakura sighed, and dropped it in the trash. Stretching, Sakura knew that there was a chance that the test was wrong, but her knowledge as a med student told her that the test was most likely correct. She resolved to get a second opinion, and knowing that Naruto's mother was a doctor, Sakura decided to make an attempt to see her as soon as possible.

Turning the bathroom light out, Sakura slipped out into the main room of her apartment. Making her way into the bedroom, the pinkette slipped into the bed with her boyfriend. Cuddling close to Kiba, Sakura wondered what she would say to him. How could she tell her wild, immature boyfriend that she was pregnant. Sighing, Sakura closed her eyes, deciding it would be best to be absolutely sure before she said anything.

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><p>AN: I'm so sorry that this took so long, a lot of though went into this, even if it really is just filler. I promise that the next chapter will be up sooner, and will focus on Naruto and Izumi. So, please let me know what you think, and just want to let you all know, I plan on doing a side story focusing on Sakura and Kiba, maybe eventually one on Gaara and Hinata as well, but for now, just Kiba and Sakura. Thanks for reading this, and once again, sorry it took so long. Please review, flames also welcome.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6 Discussions

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto.

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><p>Izumi watched as Naruto made his way home from her apartment, waving periodically to her as he walked away. When he was finally out of sight, Izumi let out a sigh and turned to look up at her apartment building. She could see the light on in her apartment, and she hoped that her brother had taken the time to look for her spare key on top of the door frame, and not kicked her door in. Letting loose another sigh, Izumi entered the building and made her way up the stairs.<p>

Reaching her apartment door, she was glad to see that it had not been kicked in. Entering the apartment, she found her brother seated at her kitchen table. Closing the door quietly behind herself, Izumi faced her brother. Izumi placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. "Well, Sasuke," Izumi said in a grating tone. "What can I do for you?"

Rising to meet his sister, Sasuke stepped forward until he was less than a meter away. Looking down at his shorter sister, Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "I need you give me my share of the trust fund."

Folding her arms across her breasts, Izumi narrowed her eyes as well. "You know that I can't do that, you can't access your part of the trust fund until you graduate from college."

"I don't care about that, just give me money from your part," Sasuke demanded.

"Sasuke, you may be my brother, but if I give you anything from my half of the trust, we both know that you won't return the borrowed money."

"Why should I return anything to _you?_" Sasuke spat. "It's your fault that I'm in this scenario, it's your fault that I'm alone!"

Izumi took a step back. "I'm sorry that you feel that way, brother, but it is not my fault. What happened to Mother and Father was an accident."

It was then that Sasuke lunged forward. Grabbing Izumi's shoulder, the younger Uchiha slammed his older sister into the wall. Digging his fingers deeper into her shoulder, Sasuke brought his face close to Izumi's. Looking her in the eyes, Sasuke reveled in the fear Izumi showed. "It wasn't an accident. It was your weakness that caused it. If you had been stronger they never would have left the restaurant when they did. You're to blame for everything," Sasuke growled.

Grabbing Sasuke's hand, Izumi wrenched it off of her shoulder. Pushing her brother back, Izumi looked Sasuke in the eye and growled back. "Get off of me, Sasuke. I am not weak, and I will say this only once more, it is not my fault. Our parents accident was nothing more than that, an accident. I will not have you treat me like this. You cannot have your share of the trust until you graduate."

Turning her back to Sasuke, realized that something had been bothering her. Before Naruto had left, he had made a comment about Sasuke's life. Wondering what Naruto had meant, Izumi asked, "What did Naruto mean before? He said something about me not knowing about your life. So, what did he mean?"

As Izumi turned to look at her brother, she was struck across the face. As Izumi hit the floor, she clutched her left eye where she had been struck. Looking up at her brother, she shivered in terror as he loomed over her. Izumi curled into a fetal position as Sasuke aimed a kick at her midsection. After driving his foot into her stomach several times, the younger Uchiha grabbed his sister's hair and lifted her up off of the floor. Izumi whimpered as her brother pulled her hair tightly. Her blurred vision locked onto her Sasuke's cold eyes and she wished that Naruto would come save her. She quickly banished the thought. She knew that if Naruto came in now, that he wouldn't hesitate to kill Sasuke. As much as Izumi feared her brother and his rages, she still loved him. He was the only she had left.

Izumi closed her eyes as Sasuke slapped her once again. Pulling her close, he whispered in her ear. "You want to know what the dobe was talking about? I'm being driven out of school. They've decided to accuse me a cheating, and I'm going to be kicked out, and they're even taking steps to keep me out of any other schools."

Sasuke shook his sister violently and asked, "Do you know what that means? Do you?"

Throwing her back to the ground, Sasuke straightened up and said, "It means that I won't be able to get what's owed to me. The rules of the trust fund say if I don't graduate college by the time I turn 24, I won't be able to claim it at all. All of it will go to you. I can't allow that, that money is mine by right. There's no way I can allow a weak murderer like you to claim it."

Izumi lifted her head off of the floor and looked at Sasuke with a fire he had never seen in her before. Glaring harshly at her brother, Izumi spoke in a hoarse tone. "I...am...not...a murderer. Remember that."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and directed another kick to Izumi's stomach. Driving the breath from her body for a final time, Sasuke looked down at his sister with utter contempt. Taking the time to spit on his sister's prone form, Sasuke turned and strode to the door of the apartment. Casting a final glance over his shoulder, Sasuke called back. "If you send your new boyfriend after me, you're going to regret it."

Izumi listened to the door to her apartment slam shut as her brother stormed out. The raven haired woman remained prone on the floor as the pain from her beating grew into a dull ache. Raising herself off of the floor, Izumi stumbled into her bedroom. Collapsing onto her bed, Izumi turned her thoughts to Naruto and her classes with him tomorrow. Deciding that she would try to hide her injuries, Izumi let sleep claim her. Her last thought before slipping into that blissful darkness was the hope that one day her brother would see the error of his ways.

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><p>As the key turned in the lock, Uzumaki Naruto leaned heavily against the doorjamb. Sighing, the young blonde pushed to door open to reveal a dark apartment. "I'm home," he called out quietly, thinking that there would be no one to respond. He was surprised, however, to hear a quiet tone respond. "Welcome Back, Naruto," Shizune said. As Naruto's eyes adjusted to the dark apartment, he saw that his sister was seated on the couch. She was wearing her sleeping yukata and was sipping from a cup of green tea. Placing the tea back onto the table, Shizune patted the couch next to her. Smiling slightly, Naruto closed the front door quietly and padded across the apartment. Sinking down onto the couch with a sigh, he leaned his head back and rested it on the back of the couch.<p>

Patting her brother's knee, Shizune asked, "So, how was your date?"

Naruto's head slid over until it was resting on his sister's shoulder. "The date went well," Naruto whispered. "It was what happened afterward that was weird."

Frowning slightly, Shizune poured Naruto a cup of tea. "What happened, I thought you really liked this girl?"

"I do, Shizune. I really want to see her again, but something happened that I don't think either of us expected," Naruto said, taking the tea from his sister.

Shizune watched Naruto carefully, waiting for him to continue. Taking a sip of the green tea, Naruto straightened up and dropped his eyes to the floor. After a moment, he finally spoke again. "I met her brother."

A confused expression appeared on Shizune's face. Placing a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder, she asked, "Isn't that a good thing? Isn't a good to be meeting her family this early?"

Naruto's shoulders started to tremble as he responded. His first response, however, was too quiet for Shizune to hear. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Shizune asked.

Naruto's head shot up and Shizune saw a dark look in her brother's eyes. "It's not a good thing when her brother is Sasuke," Naruto replied, venomously. Shizune's eyes widened as she realized what had happened. Pulling her brother close, she stroked the back of his head and tried to calm him. "It's alright, Naruto. You said that you really liked this girl, and you had a good time on your date. Are you really bothered by the fact that she's related to Sasuke?"

Naruto shook his head. Pulling away from his sister, Naruto gave his sister a look of fear. "I'm not bothered by that, I'm really not. We can't choose who we're related to, so why should I be mad at Izumi? I really like her, and I want to get to know her more. What I'm really afraid of though, is Sasuke and what he might do. I'm afraid that I might try to hurt him. I know that has never bothered me in the past, but I don't want to hurt Izumi. I'm afraid that if I do something to her brother, that she'll never forgive me"

Shizune smiled softly and ruffled her brother's blonde locks. "Oh Naruto, don't worry about that. Just worry about being happy and about making Izumi happy. If you really like this girl, you shouldn't have to worry about Sasuke. He won't be able to do anything if you ignore him. Don't worry about the little teme, he won't be a problem."

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment, before bursting out in laughter. "Shizune, did you really just call him a teme? You never say stuff like that," Naruto said between fits of laughter. Playfully punching his shoulder, Shizune giggled as she responded. "I only say things like that when people really deserve it, and since Sasuke has always been mean to you, he deserves it."

The siblings continued to laugh for a little while before deciding to turn in for the night. Sharing one last hug, the two placed their empty tea cups in the sink and made their way to their respective bedrooms. As Naruto closed his door, he smiled softly. He quickly undressed and climbed into bed. Looking up at his ceiling, Naruto hoped that his relationship with Izumi would go smoothly. Rolling over, he closed his eyes and hoped Izumi would be as happy to see him tomorrow as he knew he would to see her.

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><p>AN: Faster chapter this time, but kinda short. Most of them will be quick chapters, I really want to focus on one point for each chapter, so they all should be kinda quick here at the start. Hopefully I'll be able to extended them somewhat as we get further in. Also, to Red Fox, I appreciate your review, but I just want to confirm a few things. First, Chapter 5 was meant to be just filler, touching on what else was going on with Naruto's friends. I know that you're all here to read about Naruto and Izumi, but these other simultaneous events will have an effect on Naruto and Izumi later on, so they are a little important. These little side parts will not happen often, but when they do, they will impact their relationship later on. So I'm sorry for getting away from Naruto and Izumi, but I felt it was important to point out what was going on with everyone else. Anyway, that's it for now, hopefully the next chapter will be just as quick, so please review and remember, flames are always welcome. They help me grow.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7 Secrets and Confrontations

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto.

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><p>Naruto awoke to the sound of the apartment's phone ringing. Rolling out of bed, Naruto quickly grabbed the phone before the second ring had finished. Groggily, the blonde asked, "Hello?"<p>

"Hey Naruto, it's Sakura," the voice from the other end of the phone replied.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Naruto responded. "Hey Sakura, what can I do for you?"

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, but it's alright, I had to get up soon anyway, so what's up?"

"Actually, I was wondering if your mom was available?" Sakura asked, tentatively.

"Hang on a second, I'll go check," Naruto yawned. Pulling on a pair of sweat pants, the blonde walked out into the apartment. Making his way down the hall, Naruto leaned his ear close to the door of his mother's bedroom. He was startled by the booming of a loud snore. Reeling back from the door, Naruto could faintly hear the sound of running water coming from the kitchen. Walking away from his mother's bedroom, Naruto brought the receiver back to his ear. "Sorry Sakura, she's not up yet. Looks like she had a late night at work last night," Naruto said, avoiding the thought of his mother's drinking problem. "But, I think my sister is up. You can talk to her if you want."

"Why would I want to talk to your sister?" Sakura asked, her confused tone coming through clearly over the phone line.

"Well," Naruto started. "You called this early to speak with my mom. I can only assume it's a medical thing, and that you wanted to catch her before her shift. I'm right aren't I?"

"Yeah, but that still doesn't explain why I would want to talk to your sister," Sakura replied, still with that confused tone.

"Well, my sister's a doctor as well. She's just as skilled as mom, plus, she's awake right now," Naruto said, laughing lightly.

Naruto could hear Sakura laugh on the other end, but he thought it sounded more nervous than amused. Deciding to bite the bullet, Naruto asked, "Is everything alright, Sakura?"

Hearing a moment of silence over the phone, Naruto knew that something was bothering her. Before Naruto could confront her, she responded. "No, I'm fine, it's just a technical question. I came across this, and I hoped that your mom could help me. But if she's not up that's fine, I wouldn't mind talking to your sister."

Deciding not to push, Naruto gave a grunt of agreement. Walking down the hall into the kitchen, Naruto crept up behind his sister and tapped her on the shoulder. Jumping slightly, Shizune spun around to find Naruto smiling at her. Gesturing to the phone, Naruto whispered quietly, "It's Sakura, she want's to talk to you about something. I think something's wrong, but she won't tell me. So don't tell me what she tells you, she'll tell me when she's ready."

Nodding, Shizune took the phone and sat down at the table. Humming a quiet tune to himself, Naruto took over at the sink for his sister. He quickly finished washing the dishes that had been soaking in there and set them on the drain to dry. Making his way to the refrigerator, Naruto pulled out half a dozen eggs, as well as an assortment of peppers and some onions. Bringing the ingredients over to the kitchen counter, the blonde pulled out a cutting board as well as a knife and began dicing up the vegetables. Setting the vegetables aside, Naruto placed a frying pan on the stove and turned on the burner. As he waited for the pan to heat, Naruto watched his sister talk on the phone, but he couldn't hear what his sister was whispering.

Shrugging, Naruto turned back to his frying pan. Taking two of the eggs, he cracked them into a bowl and whipped them slightly with a fork. Satisfied that the eggs were beaten enough, he poured them into the heated pan. Rotating the pan above the flame, Naruto made sure that the egg mixture coated the entire pan. Sprinkling it with some salt and pepper, Naruto checked the edge of his pan to see how the eggs were cooking. Nodding to himself, Naruto spread some of the peppers and onions on half of the egg-filled pan. Waiting for a little while longer, Naruto took a spatula and flipped half of the omelet over it's self. Letting the omelet finish, Naruto lifted it out of the pan and placed it on a plate. Turning around, the blonde placed the finished omelet in front of Shizune. Smiling up at her brother, Shizune mouthed a 'Thank You', before digging in.

Chuckling at his sister, Naruto went back to the stove and repeated the process twice more. Once both omelets were complete, Naruto placed one on the table. Hanging up the phone, Shizune watched as Naruto carried the other omelet out of the kitchen. Giving him a curious look, Shizune opened her mouth to ask what he was doing. Holding up a hand to forestall her question, the blonde walked down the hall to his mother's bedroom. Opening the door slightly, Naruto let the aroma waft into the room. He was greeted after a moment by his still sleeping, disheveled mother. Backing away from her slowly, Naruto led the exhausted Tsunade into the kitchen. Shizune watched in fascination as her brother led their mother to the kitchen table.

Placing the dish on the table, Naruto pulled out his mother's chair so that she wouldn't fall over. The three ate breakfast in silence, the silence only breaking when Tsunade stood up from the table with a yawn. Uttering a grunt that sounded like it might be thankful, Tsunade lumbered out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. As soon as the bathroom door closed, the siblings burst out laughing. Still laughing, Shizune gathered up the dirty plates and took them to the sink to wash. As she started to wash the dishes, Naruto sat on the counter next to her, holding a towel in his hands. Nodding at her brother, Shizune passed him the first clean dish to dry. As the blonde was drying the dishes, Shizune asked, "So, you really don't want to know what Sakura wanted?"

Shaking his head, Naruto replied, "No, if she wanted me to know, she would have told me."

"Suit yourself then," Shizune sighed. Taking the initiative, Shizune decided to change the subject. "Don't you have a presentation today for your Art history class?

Chuckling, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Izumi and I are presenting on the pop art era. Specifically the artists in and around New York City during the time."

Turing off the water, Shizune took the towel from her brother and started drying her hands. "So, are you ready for your presentation?" Shizune asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. We're a much better team than most of the other students. Maybe it's because we really like each other," Naruto said as he slid off of the counter.

Flicking the towel at her brother, Shizune gave him a sly smile. "Are you sure it's not more than 'like'," Shizune teased.

Catching the towel as she tried to pull it back, Naruto turned his face to hide the blush spreading across it. "Maybe it is," Naruto said, tentatively. "But it's still to early for one of us to say that. We need to get to know each other better first."

Letting go of the towel, Shizune pulled Naruto into a tight hug. "It'll all work out for you, I know it. You've earned something nice, and I think Izumi is just that. You be good to her now," Shizune ordered.

Laughing, Naruto gave his sister a bear hug, lifting her off of the ground in the process. Putting her back down, Naruto smiled at his sister and nodded in agreement. As the siblings made their way back towards their rooms and the bathroom, Naruto vowed to himself that he would do everything he could to make sure this relationship worked out.

* * *

><p>Naruto's first two classes of the day passed without incident, but he noticed that Izumi had not yet shown up. Taking advantage of the break he had before his next class, Naruto pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Izumi's number. Pressing send, Naruto held the phone to his ear and waited. Three rings later, Izumi picked up. "Hello, Naruto. What can I do for you?" she asked. Naruto noticed that her voice sounded a little hoarse. Putting aside his original question for the moment, Naruto was more concerned about what had happened after he left the night before. "Are you alright, Izumi? Your voice sounds hoarse, did something happen last night?"<p>

"It's nothing, Naruto. Please don't worry about me," Izumi replied quickly, her voice breaking slightly.

Convinced now that something had happened, Naruto pushed a little harder. "I can tell something is bothering you. Please, tell me what's wrong," Naruto pleaded. Silence reigned over the phone line for another minute. Despite this, Naruto waited patiently for Izumi to respond. Another minute later, she replied. "Sasuke and I had an argument last night, and he got angry."

Confused, Naruto asked, "What do you mean by 'angry'?"

A few moments of silence, and then, "He was violent."

Naruto clenched his fist tightly, nails ripping into the skin. Growling into the phone, Naruto asked aggressively, "What did he do to you?"

"Please Naruto, it's nothing serious. I'll be fine in a few days. Just, please, don't go looking for him. I can't bear the thought of the two of you fighting. I'll be fine, and I'm sorry I can't be there for our presentation today."

"Don't worry about the presentation, I can handle it. And I promise I won't go looking for him, but only if you promise me something. Promise me that you'll go to the hospital. Ask for Doctor Senju."

"I can't Naruto," Izumi meekly replied. "If I go to the hospital, they'll ask questions, and I'll have to tell them what happened. Sasuke may be cruel, but he's still my brother."

"I know, that's why I want you to go see Doctor Senju," Naruto responded.

"How do you know that this Doctor Senju won't say anything?"

"Because she's my mother. Just tell her who you are, about us, and ask her to take a look at you. Don't worry, she won't ask any questions, I promise."

"Alright, I'll go see her now. Just remember your promise, Naruto."

"Don't worry, I won't go looking for him. I'm afraid that if I did, I'd do something I'd regret."

"Thank you, Naruto. I'll be back in class in a few days, make sure you don't screw up our presentation."

"I'll be fine. Good luck, Izumi."

"Thank you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Naruto replied. Hanging up his phone, Naruto took a quick look at the time. Swearing, he took off for his next class. Bursting through the doors, Naruto quickly tossed his bag in front of his usual spot. Running down to the front of the lecture hall, Naruto plugged his flash drive into the computer there. Opening up his presentation, Naruto quickly explained to the professor that Izumi was ill, and then he turned to his classmates and began.

* * *

><p>About twenty minutes after her talk with Naruto, Izumi arrived at the hospital. Her bruising safely concealed beneath a layer of makeup, Izumi walked up to the receptionist and asked, "Excuse me, could you possibly tell me where I might find Doctor Senju?"<p>

Looking up from her computer, the receptionist smiled. "Doctor Senju should currently be in her office on the fourth floor. Take the elevator up there and take a left, it's all the way down on the end. I should tell you though, she's in a meeting at the moment so you'll have to wait."

Nodding her thanks, Izumi turned and made her way to the elevators. Just as the door was closing, a woman's voice cried out, "Wait! Please hold the elevator!"

Pressing the "Door Open" button, Izumi watched as the woman entered the elevator. She was a few years younger than her, with bright pink hair. Panting slightly, the pinkette braced herself against the wall of the elevator as she mumbled a thank you. Straightening up, the pink-haired girl smiled shakily and greeted Izumi. "Hi, I'm Sakura. Thanks again for holding the elevator."

"No problem, my name is Izumi."

"Nice to meet you," Sakura replied.

"What floor are you looking for?" Izumi asked.

"Oh, the fourth."

"What a coincidence, I'm heading there as well," Izumi said. Pressing the button for the fourth floor. As the elevator started to move, the pair rode in silence. A few minutes later they came to a stop and the doors opened. Izumi stood back for a moment, allowing Sakura to go ahead of her. Stepping off of the elevator, Izumi turned left and made her way down the hall. As soon as she had turned, she realized that she was right behind the pink-haired Sakura. The two women came to a stop together at the end of the hallway. Izumi took a seat outside of Doctor Senju's office, while Sakura took a seat outside of an office labeled Doctor S. Kato.

The pair looked at each other and laughed quietly. Stifling her laughter, Sakura asked, "So, what brings you down here?"

Looking away, Izumi replied quietly, "It's a complicated matter. It's not something I can really talk about. I'm not the only one involved in this. I didn't want to come down here, but my boyfriend insisted that this doctor could help me, discretely."

Nodding at the raven-haired woman's words, the pinkette reached over and patted the woman on the knee. "I'm sure it'll all turn out okay. If it makes you feel any better, I've got a bit of a problem myself."

Turning back to the other woman, Izumi looked at her curiously. Seeing Izumi's curious expression, Sakura leaned back, resting her head against the wall. "Where to begin, where to begin? Well, I'm in my early twenties, going to med school, and I have an amazing boyfriend. I figured I was in the perfect place, what could go wrong? Well, I think I figured it out."

"What did you figure out?"

"I think I'm pregnant," Sakura replied. The two sat in silence for a moment before Sakura spoke again. "Well, I shouldn't say 'think', I took a home test, and I know all the symptoms of pregnancy, but I wanted to get a second opinion. This doctor here," she said, gesturing to the door next to her, "is the older sister of one of my friends. I know having a baby is supposed to be a wonderful thing, but I'm just not sure that I'm ready."

"Well, what does your boyfriend think?" Izumi asked.

Sakura blanched at the question. Looking away from Izumi, she started twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "Well, I kinda haven't told him yet."

"Why not? Don't you think he should have a say in this?"

"I know he should, but I need to be sure first. I need to know if I'm actually pregnant. I'm just worried about what my family will think. My mother doesn't really approve of Kiba. Actually, she hates him," Sakura muttered.

"Well, if you don't mind me saying, while I think that family is important, what's important is how you feel about him."

Nodding at Izumi's logic, Sakura replied, "Thanks Izumi. I needed to hear that. Hey, would you like to get coffee sometime?"

"I'd love to," Izumi said. Sakura smiled and gave the other woman a nod. Before they could continue talking, the door to Doctor Senju's office opened. A dark-haired woman walked out and gave the pair a startled look. Shaking her head slightly, the woman nodded to Sakura and said, "Hi Sakura, come on in."

"Thanks Shizune. I'll see you later Izumi. Here's my number, give me a call sometime."

Taking the slip of paper from the pinkette, Izumi thanked her quietly. The pair entered the office next to Doctor Senju's. As the door to Doctor Kato's office closed, Izumi stood up and knocked on Doctor Senju's door. After hearing a gruff "Come in", Izumi opened the door and slipped inside. Standing at the door, Izumi bowed slightly and greeted the doctor. The blonde doctor looked up from her desk and asked, "Do I know you?"

"Oh, no Doctor Senju, but I know your son, Naruto. He's my...boyfriend," Izumi replied, blushing furiously.

Her eyes widening slightly at that comment, Doctor Senju leaned back in her chair. "So, you're the one who was crazy enough to go out with my boy, huh? Well, what did he do that made you come down here to see me at work?"

Izumi nervously shook her head and waved off the accusation against Naruto. "He didn't do anything like that. It's just, I had a problem that should be taken care of by a hospital, but I didn't want a doctor to ask me any questions about it. He told me to come see you, that you'd understand."

Rubbing her temples, the doctor sighed. "So my brat tells you to come see me? Well, I guess I can help you, and I guess I won't ask how you got yourself beat up."

Izumi gasped. "How did you know?" she asked in a quiet voice.

The doctor narrowed her eyes at Izumi. "I've been doing this for over 30 years, I've seen every kind of trick in the book for hiding bruises. Now, tell me, did Naruto do this?"

"No, he didn't."

"Alright then, let's get you to an exam room," the doctor said. "Oh, by the way, call me Tsunade."

With that, Tsunade led Izumi out of her office and down the hall. The pair entered one of the exam rooms and Tsunade locked the door. Passing Izumi a dressing gown, Tsunade pulled a privacy curtain out and around the exam table. Tsunade watched as Izumi stepped behind the curtain. A minute or two later Izumi withdrew the curtain. Tsunade patted the top of the exam table and waited for Izumi to hop up. After helping the younger woman remove her makeup, Tsunade began examining the bruises. She had dark bruising around her left eye, enough to suggest that it may have been swollen shut at one point. Thankfully, there was no other bruising on her face. Unfortunately, there was heavy bruising on her abdomen. Examining the bruising closely, Tsunade made her conclusions about the woman's injuries. Stepping back, Tsunade removed her gloves and said, "Well, the good new is, you don't have any internal bleeding. The bad news is that the bruising around your eye will take a few days to clear up. Other than that, though, you're fine."

Getting up from the table, Izumi bowed respectfully. "Thank you very much, Tsunade. Um...I would appreciate it if you did not tell Naruto about the extent of my injuries."

"No problem, now why don't you get dressed and we can finish up in my office."

Nodding, Izumi ducked back behind the curtain and re-dressed. Taking a few moments to apply some more makeup around her eye. Straightening out her blouse, Izumi follwed Tsunade back down the hall to her office. Gesturing for Izumi to take a seat, Tsunade sat down behind her desk and folded her hands in her lap. "So, I know you don't want to tell me who did this, but does Naruto know?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, he knows, and I've asked him not to confront him," Izumi replied.

"Are you worried about what he'd do to Naruto?"

"No, I'm worried about what Naruto would do to him. I don't want Naruto to get into trouble because of me."

Tsunade nodded at this. "Noble sentiment. Alright, let's ignore the upsetting stuff now. I know my brat won't think of this, but why don't you come over for dinner this Friday? I'm sure he'd love to have you over."

Izumi paused for a moment before responding. "I'd love to come to dinner, but let's not tell him. I think we should surprise him."

Laughing sharply, Tsunade pounded the top of her desk. "Ha, that brat will never see this coming."

The two women spent a few more minutes working out the details before Izumi said good-bye to Tsunade. Stepping out of the older woman's office, Izumi glanced at the door to Doctor Kato's office. She wondered if her new friend was going to be okay. Sighing, Izumi continued on down the hall. As she reached the elevators, one of the door's opened to reveal the raven-haired Doctor Kato. The two women gave each other a polite smile before moving on. Stepping into the elevator, Izumi pressed the button for the ground floor. Leaning back against the wall of the elevator, Izumi hoped that everything would go smoothly for her and Naruto from this point on.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week passed smoothly for Naruto. The only dark cloud dampening his mood was the fact that Izumi had not been in class all week. After speaking with his Art History professor about his and Izumi's presentation, Naruto sat down on a park bench and decided what to do with the rest of his Friday. His musing was interrupted, however, by an exuberant voice calling his name. Turning in the direction of the voice, Naruto saw his bushy eye-browed friend, Rock Lee. Getting up from the bench, Naruto thrust his hands into his pockets before greeting Lee. "Hey Bushy Brows, where's the fire?"<p>

Skidding to a stop in front of Naruto, Lee let out a booming laugh. "Oh, my youthful friend, there is no fire. I could, however, use your help."

"What do you need Lee? I figured you could handle anything they threw at you."

"That is true, but I must deliver a message to our youthful friend Shino, but I must teach a class soon. He must get this message soon," Lee explained.

Nodding understandingly, Naruto replied, "So you need me to deliver it for you. Cool, I can do that. Where is he now?"

Clapping a hand down on Naruto's shoulder, Lee gave him his trademarked "Nice Guy" pose. "Thank you, Naruto! Shino will be on his schools campus until late tonight, you can find him there. Just give him this letter and that's it."

Taking the letter from Lee, Naruto examined the envelope. Holding it up to the sun, Naruto attempted to see the contents. Failing miserably, the blonde shrugged and slipped the envelope into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Don't worry Lee, I'll get it to him," Naruto assured him.

"Thank you very much Naruto," Lee said turning away. Stopping suddenly, he turned back to the blonde and asked, "Isn't your birthday coming up soon?"

Chuckling softly, Naruto responded. "Yeah, a week from tomorrow. I've got no plans yet, and I doubt that I'll have any. Alright, I gotta go Lee, I'll see you later."

The two men bade each other good bye and departed. Rolling his neck, Naruto searched his memory, trying to remember exactly where Shino went to school. As he reached the train station, Naruto realized exactly where he need to go. Shino attended one of the most prestigious universities in the area. The same university that Sasuke attended. Clenching his fists, Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Just because I'm going to that place, doesn't mean I'll see him," Naruto told himself. Shaking the anxiety off, Naruto stepped onto the train and waited for the doors to close. Naruto found a comfortable place to stand and gazed out of the windows at the passing scenery. Around 20 minutes later, Naruto stepped off the train and looked up at the university in front of him. The blonde quickly made his way into the school's courtyard and began scanning the passing students in search of his friend. Ten minutes later, Naruto threw himself down on a bench and sighed. "I spend all this time coming here and now I can't even find him," Naruto muttered.

"Who can't you find?" a quiet voice next to him asked.

The blonde's head darted up and looked to his right. There was Shino, looking at him with, what Naruto assumed was, a curious expression. Laughing sharply, Naruto rose. "I've been looking around here for you. I've been here for ten minutes, but I'm just not good at finding people."

Shaking his head slightly, Shino took a seat next to the blonde. "So, what brings you down here to see me?"

Reaching into his jacket, Naruto pulled out the envelope. "Lee wanted me to give this to you. Not sure what it is, but he said it was important that I got it to you. He'd have brought it himself, but he had a class to teach."

Taking the envelope from the blonde, Shino rolled it over in his hands before slipping it into his own jacket. Naruto gave the other man a strange look. "Aren't you going to read it?" the blonde asked.

The brunette looked at Naruto and replied simply. "No. Why you ask? I am already aware of the contents. It is not pressing, and I must prepare for my next class."

Shrugging, Naruto sighed. "Well, I guess that means I'm done here. I should head out soon."

"Why is that, Naruto?"

"_He_ goes here, remember? I can't be near him right now, or something bad's going to happen," Naruto replied.

"Like you could do anything to me, dobe," a third voice replied. The two men on the bench turned around to find Naruto's most hated enemy standing behind them. "Sasuke," Naruto growled. "I don't have time to deal with you. Plus, I promised your sister I wouldn't touch you."

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" Shino asked.

"You remember that girl I told you guys about the other night at the restaurant? Well, it turns out that it's the teme's older sister. She's a lot nicer than him, and even though he's a jerk she still cares about him."

"You're wrong," Sasuke shouted. "If she actually cared, she'd have helped me, that bitch."

Hopping over the bench, Naruto stood level with the arrogant Uchiha. "Call her that again," Naruto snarled. "And I'll forget my promise to Izumi, and leave you broken on the ground."

Sasuke laughed contemptuously. "Like you could do anything to me. Plus, if you attack me now I'll come out on top no matter what. Attacking a student on his own campus would only get you in trouble dobe."

"Not if there was someone to support his story. Besides, Uchiha, you will not be a student here for much longer," Shino replied coldly.

"Stay out of this, Aburame. This doesn't concern you," Sasuke snapped at him.

"That's it, I'm done here. I've got better things to do than listen to the teme be emo," Naruto sighed. "I'll see you later Shino. Oh, and tell Lee to deliver stuff to you himself next time."

With that, Naruto turned his back to Shino and Sasuke. The blonde continued to walk away as the other two split up. Shino gave Sasuke a cold look before heading back to his classes. Sasuke, however was to angry to let things go. Clenching his fists, he took off after the blonde, hoping to settle the score.

* * *

><p>The was barely starting to set when Izumi reached Naruto's apartment. She quickly checked over her outfit, making sure it was appropriate for officially meeting her...boyfriend's family. She sighed nervously, she still wasn't used to thinking of Naruto like that, but that's what he was. Her boyfriend. Taking a deep breath in order to calm herself, Izumi knocked on the door. She was quickly greeted by a dark haired woman that she immediately recognized from the hospital. "Aren't you Doctor Kato?" Izumi asked, very confused.<p>

"Please, call me Shizune," the woman replied. "I'm Naruto's older sister. Tsunade adopted me as well, but that was years before Naruto. Come on in."

"Thank you very much for inviting me into your home," Izumi said politely.

"Oh no, thank you very much for coming...and for putting up with my little brother," Shizune replied playfully.

The two women giggled slightly at Shizune's comment. "Please make yourself comfortable, Mother and I and just finishing up dinner."

Putting her purse down next to the couch, Izumi asked, "Do you need any help with that?"

"No, it's alright, we've got this," Shizune called on her way to the kitchen. Nodding, Izumi took a seat on the plush sofa in the living area. Looking around the room, she spotted a picture. Standing up and walking over to it, Izumi examined the photograph. It was an image of a small blonde child sitting on the lap of an older gentleman. The pair were sitting on a stool at the counter of a restaurant. Izumi quickly realized that this was the same restaurant that he had taken her to on their first date. "That's Naruto's grandfather, Sarutobi Hiruzen," said a voice from behind her.

Turning around, Izumi spotted Tsunade standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "That was taken shortly after Naruto's little 'expedition'," the older woman said.

"Yes, he told me about that. He seems to really love his grandfather, where is he now?"

"He passed away a few years ago. Naruto was 13 at the time. Even now he still misses the old man, we all do," Tsunade replied. "Well, make yourself at home, Shizune and I should be finished soon. The brat should be home soon, too."

Bowing, Izumi thanked the older woman. She gazed at the pictures around the room, observing the progression of Naruto's childhood. She smiled brightly at a picture of Naruto and Shizune sitting asleep on the couch, Naruto's head resting on his sister's shoulder, while her head rested on top of his. Making her way back to the couch to wait, Izumi heard a knock on the door. She heard Tsunade call out in gruff voice, "Get that will you, Izumi. The brat probably forgot his key."

Heading over to the door, Izumi smiled softly as she opened it. Her smile vanished as she saw what waited on the other side. Stepping back from the door, Izumi stood speechless as a white haired man greeted her. "Hello Miss, is Naruto here?"

Izumi remained silent, not knowing what to do. Thankfully, she was saved by Tsunade. The blonde woman entered into the living room asking, "Well, was the brat surprised?"

The blonde woman stopped short at the site in front of her. Dropping the towel in her hands, Tsunade began shaking in rage. "Izumi, get away from that man," she said calmly. Backing away from the door, Izumi ducked behind Tsunade, terrified of what was happening. She didn't know who this man was, or what he wanted with Naruto, all she knew was that whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Tsunade took another step forward and folded her arms across her chest. Gritting her teeth, she growled out a question. "What the hell are you doing here, Jiraiya?"

* * *

><p>AN: Wow, sorry it took so long. I wanted to have this chapter up in less than a week for you all, but my time was halfway gone by the time I realized how much I wanted to include in this chapter for you all. I'd say I hate to leave you with a cliff hanger, but that would be lying. So, I'll leave you with this. I promise to try and get chapters down to a more regular schedule, and hopefully keeping them at a nice, long length, but I make no promises. So, please let me know what you think, and remember, flames are always welcome, don't be afraid, they help us grow. Have fun with this one.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8 Aftermath, and a surprise

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto. If I did, there'd be some gender swaps.

* * *

><p>Tsunade cracked her knuckles as the white haired man in the hallway pleaded with her. "Please Tsunade, I just want to talk to him. You owe me at least that," he said.<p>

"I don't owe you shit, Jiraiya. Now get out of my house," Tsunade replied bitterly.

"Well, technically, I'm not in your house, I'm standing outside of your door," Jiraiya said with a grin. Punching her fist into the palm of her hand, Tsunade glared at Jiraiya. "If you don't want me to pummel you, you'll take the hint and go."

"I'm not leaving until I see him, I know he's here."

"Well, that's where you're wrong," Tsunade said. "He still hasn't come back from school yet."

"Stop lying to me Tsunade, if he's not here, why is she?" Jiraiya shouted, pointing at Izumi.

Izumi recoiled at the man's tone. Her gaze darted back and forth between the two elders. Before she could explain her presence, Shizune emerged from the kitchen. "Hello Jiraiya. Please leave before Naruto returns. We both know that he doesn't want to see you. Besides, you have no right to see him anyway," Shizune said coldly.

Izumi looked at the raven haired woman and saw the loathing look in her eyes. She didn't know what the older man had done to deserve such hatred, but she knew that it must pertain to Naruto. Returning her attention to the pair at the door, Izumi listened to the argument still raging around her. "Like hell I'll believe that Shizune! She wouldn't be here if he wasn't," Jiraiya shouted again, once again pointing at Izumi. Offended by that man's obnoxious behavior, Izumi went to speak up. She was cut off once again, this time by Tsunade. "She's here to surprise him. Now get out of here Jiraiya," the blonde woman growled.

At that comment, Jiraiya got a lecherous gleam in his eye. Looking Izumi up and down, he gave her a lustful smile. "So, she's here to _surprise_ him, huh? Gonna make the boy a man finally? If I had known I would have helped."

Izumi bristled at the man's coarse comments and actions. Once again, before she could respond, she was interrupted by one of the women in Naruto's family. Tsunade cracked her knuckles once again as Shizune leaned against the kitchen doorway with a sad smile. "Oh, you poor bastard," Shizune sighed. "What Mom is about to do to you is going to pale in comparison to what my little brother will do when he finds out you called his new girlfriend a prostitute."

The blood drained out of his face as Jiraiya staggered backwards. "She's Naruto's girlfriend?" he asked, sweating slightly. Backing further away from the door, Jiraiya made his way towards the stairs, muttering, "I have to go. I'll..."

Tapering off, Jiraiya turned and sped off, not bothering to finish his sentence. Sighing heavily, Tsunade closed the door. Leaning back against the door, Tsunade's body seemed to sag, exhausted by the confrontation with Jiraiya. Running a hand through her blonde locks, Tsunade pushed off the door and made her way over to the couch. Nodding to Shizune, who darted back into the kitchen, Tsunade motioned for Izumi to sit next to her on the couch. Taking a seat next to the blonde, Izumi asked, "Who was that crass man?"

"You can't really call that a man, he's more of a perverted parasite. He writes adult novels for a living. Jiraiya is my ex-husband, but he's also Naruto's godfather."

Izumi was shocked by this information. "If that man is Naruto's godfather, why wouldn't you allow him to see him?"

"Because, Naruto's parents died shortly after his birth, and it was Jiraiya's responsibility to take care of him. But he abandoned him, and left our teacher to raise him. Teacher became Naruto's grandfather, and Naruto lived happily. Once Teacher got sick, he called us in so I could meet Naruto and Jiraiya could take him in. It didn't go the way he planned. Once Naruto learned that Jiraiya was his godfather, and that he had abandoned him, Naruto avoided him. I fell in love with the little brat, so I decided to adopt him. I didn't care what Teacher or Jiraiya thought about it, Naruto deserved a good family."

"I see why you would dislike that man. I'm glad Naruto wasn't here to see that," Izumi said. "Um...could we leave out the part where he called me a...you know?"

Tsunade gave the girl a short chuckle. "What, you don't want to see Naruto kill the old perv?"

"I hate violence of any kind, that's why I asked Naruto not to confront my brother," the younger girl replied, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she realized exactly what she just said. She glanced at Tsunade's eyes, just to see what her reaction was. The blonde woman was leaning back against the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. "So, you hate violence?" Tsunade said. "Good, Naruto has had enough problems with violence in his life. He needs a good girl to keep him out of trouble."

Izumi sighed in relief at Tsunade's unspoken agreement not to speak of Izumi's beating. She heard footsteps coming from the kitchen and she turned to see Shizune entering the living area, wiping her hands on a towel. Smiling apologetically at the younger woman, Shizune said, "Sorry about that jerk. You should have seen how he treated me when we first met."

Izumi smiled back at the other woman. Just then, there was a pounding sound coming from the apartment door. Thinking it was Jiraiya again, Tsunade rose with a groan. "Alright, alright, I'm going to beat you senseless if you don't knock it off," the blonde complained, throwing the door open. As the door flew open, Izumi stifled a shriek. Leaning against the doorjamb was a bruised and bloody Naruto. Lurching forward, Naruto was caught by Tsunade before he hit the floor. Turning her head around to face the room, Tsunade shouted orders to the other women. "Shizune, get the kit out of the closet and grab some towels. Izumi, get in the kitchen and boil some water."

The two women darted off to take care of their respective tasks. Tsunade quickly threw Naruto's arm over her shoulder and dragged him into the apartment, kicking the door closed behind her. As she half-carried, half-dragged the boy into the apartment, she heard him mumble, "Did you say 'Izumi' before?"

"Yeah brat, I invited her after she visited me," Tsunade replied.

Naruto passed out right after that. Shizune came into room, arms laden with towels and the med kit. Dropping the kit on the floor next to Tsunade, Shizune threw the towels over the couch to protect it. Tsunade deposited her passed out son onto the couch and threw open the kit. "Get in the kitchen and help Izumi with that water," she barked at her daughter. Rushing off to help Izumi, Shizune gave her brother a worried look over her shoulder. Peeling the boy's shirt off, Tsunade rolled it up and tossed it towards the bathroom.

Checking over her son's injuries, Tsunade barely noticed when Shizune and Izumi returned with the water. Dipping a sponge into the water, Tsunade began bathing the wounds, clearing them of blood and dirt. Motioning to Shizune, the blonde woman extended her hand out and waited. Shizune quickly handed Tsunade a bottle of disinfectant and then began cleaning Naruto's hands. Izumi noticed that her boyfriend's worst injuries were his knuckles. They were bruised heavily, with some rough scratches from repeated use. Izumi leaned over Shizune, who was working on Naruto's hands, and asked, "Has this happened before?"

Clearing the last of the debris out of his hand wounds, Shizune wiped the back of her hand across her brow. "Yeah, once before, and I'm betting that your brother is responsible for this one too," she ground out. Izumi fell back as she realized how much Naruto and her brother hated each other. Moving around the couch to stand behind Tsunade, Izumi knelt down and quietly asked the blonde woman if there was anything she could do. Nodding, Tsunade said, "Yeah, in one of the cabinets is a small container of smelling salts. Go get it, we need to wake him up to bandage him."

Izumi quickly darted into the kitchen and one by one threw open the cabinet doors. When she opened the fifth cabinet, she saw it. Grabbing the container, she rushed back into the living area, leaving the cabinets open behind her. Opening the container, Izumi held it under Naruto's nose. The blonde male stirred a few moments later, eyelids flickering as they struggled to open. After another minute, Naruto was fully conscious and attempting to sit up. Closing the container, Izumi placed it on the side table and put a hand on Naruto's chest to help him ease into a sitting position.

Izumi sat herself on the couch next to Naruto, placing a hand between his shoulders in order to keep him upright. Naruto gave Izumi a small smile as he held his hands out for his mom and sister to bandage. Wrapping the white gauze around her brother's hands, Shizune quietly asked him, "Did he do this to you?"

Naruto laughed. "That teme didn't even touch me. He had a couple of his thug friends try and take me on."

"What do you mean little brother? What happened?" Shizune asked with a tone of worry.

"This is all Lee's fault, next time I see him...well, anyway, Lee asked me to take something to Shino for him. I figured that, even though Shino and Sasuke go to the same university, I wouldn't have to deal with him. I gave Shino the thing from Lee, and we got to talking. That's when Sasuke showed up. He was trying to goad me into a fight with him, and if Shino wasn't there with his ever calm aura, I might have been tempted. I managed to ignore him and just get out of there. I was halfway to the train station when they jumped me. Sasuke had two twin guys with him...well, at least I think they were guys, they were wearing purple lipstick. Anyway, these twins came at me. Next thing I knew, fists were flying and I had those two on the ropes. That's when the teme stepped in. He hit me in the back with a pipe and I went down. He hit me a few more times before he started gloating about how much better than me he was. He ditched those twins and I managed to get up and get to the train station without passing out a few minutes later."

The three women sat in silence as they listened to Naruto's story. Finishing up the bandaging of her brother's hands, Shizune rose and stalked out of the room muttering under her breath. As she entered the kitchen, she shouted back, "That teme, it takes two thugs tiring you out for him to hit you from behind like a coward!"

Slamming her fist into the wall, Shizune spun around and addressed her brother with a venomous tone. "Naruto, tell me you'll beat the crap out of that little jerk next time you see him."

Naruto gave his sister a cold look, before cracking a smile. Laughing, he replied, "Why should I waste my energy on him? He couldn't even fight me like a man, it just proves he can't beat me. But those other two, rest assured that if I meet them again, you'll be seeing them at work, Sis."

Walking back into the living area, Shizune hugged her brother tightly and ruffled his hair. "Good boy, now go get changed and get back here quick so we can eat dinner," Shizune said with a small smile.

Nodding, Naruto rose from the couch and made his way towards his bedroom, stopping only to grab his soiled shirt. The three women watched as the blonde male entered into his bedroom, not bothering to close the door behind himself. Glancing over at the other two women, Izumi rose and bowed. "Thank you very much for inviting me," she began. "But I feel that I should be going."

Shizune gave Izumi a hard look. "Why? Because your little brother attacked Naruto?"

Tsunade clapped a hand down hard on her adopted daughter's shoulder. Pushing the younger woman towards the kitchen, Tsunade muttered, "Go take care of dinner, I'll handle this."

Shizune nodded grudgingly and made her way into the kitchen. Tsunade turned to her son's new girlfriend and said, "I think you should stay. What your brother did has nothing to do with you. Besides, how would Naruto feel if you left before he got back? He seemed really happy that you were here when I told him earlier."

Izumi thought about what Tsunade said for a moment. Taking a few calming breaths, Izumi looked at the older woman. "I suppose you're right," she replied. Izumi then gave Tsunade a playful smirk. "Besides, I still have to tell him what that man said."

Tsunade laughed hard at Izumi's comment. "I think you'll fit in just fine with this family. Now why don't you go down that hall and get my boy out here for dinner, I'm starving. Fixing him up takes a lot out of me," Tsunade said, making her way to the kitchen.

Blushing slightly, Izumi made her down the hall to Naruto's room. Standing in the doorway, Izumi knocked on the open door to alert him to her presence. Naruto glanced to the door, and then quickly pulled on a clean shirt. Smoothing out the orange fabric, Naruto smiled sheepishly and asked, "What can I do for you, Izumi?"

Stepping into her...boyfriend's room. Still nervous about calling Naruto her boyfriend, Izumi decided to distract herself by examining his room. The room itself was sparsely furnished, with just a bed, side table, and bookshelf. The walls were painted a burnt orange, which matched the orange bedspread. Glancing at the bookshelf, Izumi noticed that it was packed full of books on dozens of different subjects, ranging from medical texts to books on economics and commerce. Izumi stiffened slightly as she felt Naruto stand behind her. "I got most of those from my grandfather. He was a professor back in his youth, before he left to start his own distribution company. Some of the books there were my father's, he actually worked for Grandpa while he was still alive," Naruto whispered quietly in her ear.

Turning to face Naruto, Izumi placed a hand on his chest. Gazing up into his eyes, Izumi leaned her head against his chest and whispered, "Thank you for not hurting him."

Lifting a hand up to stroke her raven hair, Naruto pressed his nose into the crown of her head and inhaled the aroma of her shampoo. "I promised you that I wouldn't hurt him, and I never break a promise," Naruto replied quietly. Taking a half step back, Naruto gently cupped Izumi's chin and raised her head. Looking into her eyes, Naruto smiled softly at the beautiful woman in front of him. Leaning forward, Naruto brought his lips ever closer to hers. Suddenly, a voice sounded from the door. "Come on you two, dinner's getting cold. You can make out later," Shizune taunted.

Blushing furiously, the young couple each took a step back. The pair smiled sheepishly, and Naruto held out a hand to lead Izumi out of his room. As the group of four sat down at the kitchen table to eat, Naruto thought about how lucky he was to have such amazing women in his life. As they laughed and joked throughout the meal, Naruto made a promise to himself. A promise to do whatever it took to keep them happy and safe. As they continued to talk, Naruto's chopsticks froze as he heard a familiar, and hated name. "What the hell was Jiraiya doing here?" he asked angrily.

Tsunade placed her chopsticks down on her plate and calmly folded her hands. "He wanted to see you," she replied. Clenching his chopsticks tightly in his hand, Naruto's hand trembled as he asked, "Does he know that he has no right to see me?"

"We tried to get that point across to him, but he wouldn't listen. The good news is, though, Mom did almost kill him tonight," Shizune said with a slight smirk. Turning his attention to his sister, Naruto gave her a curious look. "Oh, and what did he say this time?" he asked.

"Well, he...he called me...a prostitute," Izumi quietly squeaked out. The three women winced as the chopsticks in Naruto's hands snapped in half. Dropping the now useless bamboo shafts, Naruto's whole body shook as he ground out his response. "How close do you think he is? Do you think I could find him before he decides to skip town again?"

Feeling a delicate hand on his shoulder, Naruto turned to see Izumi slowly shaking her head. "Please, he's not worth chasing. The urgency in he had in his voice means that he'll be back," Izumi said. "You can always kill him when he returns," she added with a small smile.

Naruto laughed at Izumi's logic. Reaching up, Naruto clasped Izumi's hand gently with his own, bandaged one. Smiling, he turned back to his mother and sister. "Well, I guess the next time he comes I'll have to see him. I owe him one for what he said," Naruto said with a smirk.

The women at the table all laughed at this. They knew that the blonde that they all loved so much was back to his old self. Rising from the table to go get a new set of chopsticks, Naruto gazed lovingly at the faces of his family and his...girlfriend. As he grabbed a new set of chopsticks, Naruto renewed his promise to keep them happy and safe, no matter what.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Naruto awoke with a groan. Rolling out of bed, the blonde made his way into the bathroom for a shower. Twenty minutes later, the blonde made his way out of the steaming bathroom and quickly got dressed. Heading out into the kitchen, he saw Shizune placing a plate of pancakes on the table in front of his usual seat. Taking a seat, Naruto quickly demolished his breakfast. Dropping the plate in the sink, Naruto quickly washed and dried his hands. Holding them out to his sister, Shizune inspected the injuries on them. Taking the roll of gauze from the table, she quickly wrapped her brother's hands. When she was finished, she patted the back of his hands and said, "There, just a few more days and you'll be fine."<p>

"Thanks Shizune. I can't wait to get these bandages off completely," Naruto replied wearily.

Shaking her head, Shizune turned back to the stove. Pausing for a moment, she took a deep breath before speaking again. "So, your birthday's this Saturday, have you given any thought to what you want to do?" she asked, with a sly edge to her voice.

"I don't know, Mom has to work, so I figured I'd just hang out here, like always," Naruto said.

Spinning around, Shizune smacked her brother on top of his head. "Unacceptable!" she shouted.

"You need to go out and do something fun. How about you and I go out together on Saturday, make a day of it?" Shizune asked.

Thinking it over for a moment, Naruto decided that it wasn't a bad idea. "Alright," he said. "Let's go out on Saturday. It's been so long since you and I did anything together, it sounds like fun."

"Great, I'm off all day, so we'll have plenty of fun. Now, go wake Mom and get off to class."

"Fine, fine. But if she hits me again, I'm blaming you," Naruto muttered as he walked out of the room. As soon as Naruto was out of the room, Shizune grabbed his cell phone from the table. Quickly running down the contacts, Shizune found Izumi's number. Memorizing it, she placed the phone back on the table and went back to the stove. A few seconds later, Naruto came back into the kitchen rubbing his shoulder. Shooting Shizune an evil glare, he grabbed his phone from the table and stalked out of the apartment. When she heard the door slam, Shizune pulled her phone out and plugged in the number she memorized from the blonde's phone. Smiling to herself, Shizune finished up her stack of pancakes and placed the plate in front of her mother, who had just flopped down at the table. Noting the cunning smile on her daughter's face, Tsunade waved off her daughter saying, "I don't even want to know what you're up to."

Shrugging, Shizune placed the dirty pan in the sink and washed her hands. Bidding her mother good-bye, Shizune made her way out of the apartment. Taking her cell phone out of her pocket, Shizune dialed the number she stole from her brother. Two rings later, she heard the quiet voice of her brother's girlfriend. "Hello, may I ask who's calling?"

"Hello Izumi, this is Naruto's sister, Shizune."

"Oh, hello Shizune, what can I do for you this morning?"

"Well, Naruto's friends are having a surprise party for him on Saturday, since it's his birthday. So I was hoping that you might come to the party," Shizune asked over the phone.

"I would love to come, please let me know the time and place," Izumi replied.

After informing Izumi of the details, Shizune said good-bye and hung up. Slipping the phone back into her pocket, Shizune smiled widely, thinking of the surprise that awaited her brother at the end of the week.

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke to the harsh beeping of his alarm clock. With a groan, the blonde rolled over and hit the snooze button. Just as he settled down for some more sleep, the door to his bedroom crashed open. Crawling deeper under the covers, Naruto tried to ignore the exuberant tone in his sister's voice. "Good morning, sleepy head. Get up, get dressed, we've got a lot of fun to have today," Shizune shouted excitedly.<p>

Pulling the comforter over his head, Shizune heard her brother grumble. "Just five more minutes," he mumbled. Smiling widely, Shizune grabbed the comforter and yanked it off of the bed. Shivering slightly, Naruto curled into a tight ball, still grumbling about getting more sleep. Grabbing her brother's foot, Shizune dragged him out of bed. As Naruto hit the floor, he groaned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Glaring at his sister, he sat up and asked, "What is so important that you had to literally drag me out of bed at...7:45 on a Saturday?"

"Breakfast," Shizune replied with a smile. "I don't feel like cooking, and it's your birthday, so I figured we could go out to eat. Now get in that shower and get dressed, I want to get a good table."

Groaning at his sister's cheery tone, Naruto complied. Rising from the cold floor, Naruto dragged his feet across the hall and entered the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, Naruto emerged from the shower. Closing the door to his room, Naruto took his towel and finished drying his hair. Dropping the towel on the floor, Naruto grabbed a pair of boxers and slid them on. Pulling a pair of black jeans from a drawer, Naruto put them on and searched for a shirt to wear. Spotting an black button-down with orange designs, the blonde threw it on, buttoning it almost all the way up.

Satisfied with his outfit, Naruto dropped his towel in laundry basket before stepping out to meet his sister. Running a hand through his spiky locks, Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at what Shizune was wearing. Shizune stood before her brother in something she'd never worn before, a pair of black pumps with a three-inch heel, giving her just enough height to match him. In addition to her heels, Shizune was wearing something else surprising, a dress. The short-skirted dress was made of a satiny, orange fabric with black detailing at the base of the skirt. Seeing the shocked look on her brother's face, Shizune smiled wider and spun around. "So, what do you think?" Shizune asked playfully.

"Wow, it's amazing, Shizune. Why haven't you worn dresses before now?"

"Well, I never really had a reason too," Shizune replied. "Now, enough about my outfit. We have to get to breakfast."

Taking Naruto's hand, she led him out of the apartment, taking care to lock the door behind them. Making their way out of the building, Shizune walked alongside her brother, playfully teasing him about the looks they were getting. "Look at them Naruto," she said. "They all think we're a couple, and aren't we cute together?"

"Knock it off, Sis. Besides, you could do better than me, like that teacher from my old high school," Naruto replied with a smirk.

Blushing lightly, Shizune smacked her brother on the shoulder. "Don't even joke about him. I went on one date with Hatake before I found out that he was a pervert. Did you know that he read's...that man's novels?"

Frowning slightly, Naruto shook his head. "I didn't, well I guess he's out. Hey, what about one of those two security guards? What were their names? Umm...oh, yeah, Izumo and Kotetsu. What about them, I know that they both like you, so how about it?"

Shizune laughed hard at the blonde's suggestion. "No way, I admit that Izumo is kind of cute, but he spends all of his time with Kotetsu, I feel liked they'd both want to go out with me. So no, no way."

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto wracked his brain for another idea. "Well, if those guys won't work, why not a girl? If I remember correctly, you had an interesting experience with that cop Anko that one time. By the way, how drunk were you that night?"

Naruto found himself jerked to a stop. Turning back to Shizune, he found her blushing a bright red. Her eye's were wide in shock, and he had to strain to here the whisper that followed. "How did you know about us? We haven't told anyone yet, not even Tsunade."

Naruto felt the blood drain from his face and his own eyes widen. Placing a comforting hand on Shizune's shoulder, Naruto leaned in close and whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were serious. I was just remembering how much you were hugging her at the bar. I thought it was kinda cute...and funny."

Chuckling quietly, Naruto leaned back and started pulling Shizune along. Glancing back over his shoulder, Naruto decided to play with his sister just a little more. "Well, I'm glad you found someone. If you waited any longer you might have ended up like Mom, married briefly to a horrible pervert," the blonde teased.

Smacking him on the shoulder, Shizune pouted and turned away. Her pouting didn't last long as she succumbed to a fit of giggles. Bracing herself on her brother's shoulder, Shizune replied, "Well, thank you little brother, but don't let Mom hear you say that."

"I won't, I won't," the blonde replied. Coming to a stop, Naruto pointed across the street to a small cafe. "How about there for breakfast?" he asked.

Nodding, Shizune led her brother across the street. Entering the cafe, Shizune froze when she heard a familiar voice. "Hey Doc! What brings you out here, especially with a dude? You know I don't share."

Slowly turning towards the sound of the voice, Shizune saw her girlfriend, Mitarashi Anko seated at one of the tables. Before she could say anything, Naruto walked over and sat down in front of the violet haired woman. Lacing his fingers together, the blonde placed his elbows on the table and asked point blank, "What makes you qualified to date my older sister, Sergeant Mitarashi?"

"Huh, so you're Shizune's little brother then," Anko countered. "Well, let me tell you something Whiskers, I love Shizune. She doesn't care about my past, or what my guardian did. All that matters to her is who I am now. What's most important is that no matter what, I'll protect her. She's the most precious person in the world to me, and nothing will ever change that."

As Anko finished, she noticed that Naruto had a hand in front of his mouth, trying to hide a silent fit of laughter. Angrily, Anko rose from her seat and grabbed the chuckling blonde by the collar. Pulling him close, Anko addressed him in a violent and venomous tone. "What's so funny, Whiskers? Don't think I'm good enough for Shizune?"

Stifling the last of his laughter, Naruto shook his head. "No, nothing like that. It's just, the only one other person has called me 'Whiskers', it was funny to hear it from someone other than her. Plus, you reminded me a lot of myself with your speech. Shizune is just as precious to me, so I do think you're good enough. You should come over some time for dinner, give Mom a heart attack," Naruto said with a grin.

"Heh, you've got a deal brat," Anko replied, slamming her palm down on the table top. Looking past Naruto, Anko waved to Shizune who was still standing nervously by the door. "Come and join us Shizune. Come on, get over here."

Walking over and sitting next to Anko, Shizune kept her head bowed to hide her blush. Getting up from his seat, Naruto knelt down in front of Shizune. Looking up into her eyes, the blonde spoke quietly. "Hey, we're not going to make fun of you, now pick your head up and tell an embarrassing story about one of us. Here's a hint, start with Anko."

Laughing lightly at his comment, Shizune picked her head up and shook it. "Oh, Naruto," she began. "Just for that, I'm starting with you."

"Bring it on Sis, you've got nothing on me," Naruto shot back with a foxy grin.

Straightening up, Shizune folded her arms across her chest. "Really, what about 9th grade? With Sasuke," Shizune replied with a smirk.

"You swore that you would never speak of that!" Naruto growled.

Anko looked back and forth between the two and asked eagerly, "What happened, what happened?"

"Well, it all started one morning at school," Shizune began. "And my dear little brother was arguing with this little jackass again. They were always at each others throats, but today was especially bad. Little Naruto got up close and personal with him. Now, they were arguing in their classroom, and Naruto was crouched on top of the desk in front of the jackass Sasuke. Now since the classroom was a raised lecture hall, Naruto didn't think he had anything to worry about, but he was wrong. Just as Naruto leaned forward, the kid in the row in front of him stood up. He bumped into Naruto and-"

"That's enough," Naruto said, cutting her off.

Shizune held up her hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I won't say any more."

Sighing, the tension left Naruto's shoulders as he slumped down in his chair. As he turned to flag down the waitress, he heard Shizune whisper to Anko, "He ended up kissing him. My little brother's first kiss was with his worst enemy."

"Shizune! You promised," Naruto shouted.

Giggling, Shizune gave Naruto an apologetic look. "Sorry, I had to. Tell you what, later I'll tell you an embarrassing story about Anko. That sound good?"

Pouting, Naruto folded his arms across his chest and looked away. "Fine," he mumbled.

The three of them laughed and placed their breakfast orders. As they ate, Naruto watched how his Sister interacted with her girlfriend. The two of them were very conscious of the space between them. Never getting too close, but never straying to far. Their hands would often drop below the table into the empty space between them. He also noticed that whenever they thought he wasn't looking, they would sneak glances at each other. But more importantly, they were always smiling. He realized that what they had was what he wanted with Izumi. Smiling brightly as the check came, Naruto grabbed it before his sister could. Waving her off, Naruto flashed the couple a foxy smirk. "Don't worry about it Sis. My treat, for you and your girlfriend. I'm going to step out so you two can have a little more time to talk. It was nice meeting you Anko, I hope we can see each other again soon."

Rising from the table, Naruto gave both women a nod before passing the paid check to the waitress. The couple watched as the blonde sauntered out of the restaurant. Turning to her girlfriend, Shizune smiled shyly. "Now you know why I like to talk about him so much. He's so understanding, about everything," the raven haired woman said.

Chuckling, Anko slipped an arm around Shizune. "Yeah, he's a good kid, I really would like to see him again."

"Well, how about tonight?" Shizune asked tentatively. "We're having a surprise party for his birthday tonight at 6. You should come by, it's at the Akimichi family restaurant. They booked the whole place for us."

"Sure, I'll come by, and I've got the best gift for him," Anko replied.

"Really, what's that?"

"Me embarrassing you, of course," Anko said brightly.

Shizune blushed scarlet and smacked Anko on the arm. Smirking, Anko pulled Shizune closer. Standing up, the couple exited the cafe to find Naruto waiting for them. The blonde watched as his sister and Anko said good-bye. Giving Anko a wave, Naruto watched as she strolled off. Turning his attention to Shizune, Naruto smiled brightly and said, "Well, she seems really nice when she's not arresting you."

At that remark, Shizune took a playful swing at her brother. Dodging her swing, Naruto held up his hands in surrender. The two laughed off Naruto's remark and began walking down the street. Nudging her brother gently, Shizune glanced up at him. "So, little brother, what else would you like to do on your birthday?" Shizune asked.

Naruto knew exactly what he wanted to do, and where they would have to go to do it. He thought carefully about the trip, and it's length, and realized that they would probably be back around 5:30. Stopping, the blonde ran a hand through his spiky locks. "Well, I want to visit Mom and Dad," he said quietly.

Shizune placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Well, then I guess we'll need to stop by the Yamanaka's shop," the raven haired woman replied.

"Yeah, thanks Sis. Shall we head out now?"

"Sure, it shouldn't take us too long to get to the flower shop," Shizune said. The siblings made their way, side by side, a few blocks over to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. The pair stepped through the door, and were greeted by the chiming of a little bell. As the door swung shut behind them, a blonde woman appeared from the back, calling out a greeting. "Hello, welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. My name is Ino, how may I help you?"

Ino's greeting was met by laughter. Looking up from the order sheet she was working on, she realized who her guests were. Her smile widened and she placed the order sheet on the counter. Stepping around she gave Shizune a brief hug, before giving her fellow blonde a big bear hug. Naruto returned her hug, lifting her off the ground in the process. Setting her feet back on the ground, Ino looked up and Naruto and changed her professional smile to a seductive one. "Well now, what brings you here today Whiskers? You're not feeling lonely today, are you?" the blonde woman teased.

Shaking his head, Naruto gave Ino a sad smile. "No, nothing like that," he said quietly. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Shizune and I are on our way to visit my parents and my grandpa."

Ino's seductive smile vanished and was replaced by a sympathetic look. Ino gently rubbed her fellow blonde's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Here, let me get you something to take with you for you mother," Ino calmly said. Ducking into the back of the shop, Ino searched through the flowers back there for the perfect blossom for Naruto's mother. Her eyes stopped on a brilliant purple blossom. Carefully choosing a dozen of the best to make a perfect bouquet. Wrapping them up, Ino brought the flowers out to the waiting siblings. She stepped out around the counter and passed the bouquet to Naruto. "Here, a bouquet of Lavender blossoms, I think these would be perfect for your mother," Ino said.

Taking the flowers from Ino, Naruto smiled softly. "Thanks Ino. What do I owe you?"

"For you, no charge," Ino said with a bright smile. "It's a special day, so they're yours, Naruto."

"Thanks Ino, I owe you one," Naruto responded.

Ino leaned back against the counter and folded her arms across her breasts. Giving the blonde male a coy smirk, Ino replied, "Careful Whiskers, I just may take you up on that."

"Alright you two lovebirds, we need to get out of here before Naruto gives Izumi a reason to be jealous," Shizune remarked. The pair blushed sheepishly, and Naruto thanked Ino again for the flowers. Bidding the blonde woman good-bye, the siblings left the flower shop. Naruto and Shizune walked swiftly down the street to the train station. The raven haired woman quickly purchased two tickets and then hopped on the train with her brother. Taking their seats, Shizune leaned her head against Naruto's shoulder and closed her eyes.

As his sister drifted off to sleep, Naruto gazed out the window at the passing city. He thought about the last time he had visited his parents. It had been almost five years since his last visit, and he felt the shame building inside of him.

Until that time, he had visited every year on his birthday. He remembered walking up to his parents graves alongside his adoptive mother. He was so excited to see his parents, he was almost bursting with joy. The joy quickly faded as he saw the white haired man standing before his parents graves. Naruto's fists clenched as Jiraiya smiled at him.

As Jiraiya made a move to speak, Naruto cut him off. "What are you doing here?" the boy demanded.

Jiraiya recoiled as if struck. The venom in the young man's voice surprised him. "I'm visiting my old student and his wife. There's nothing wrong with that," Jiraiya said calmly.

"You betrayed them. You have no right to be here," Naruto replied angrily.

"What do you mean? I never betrayed your parents."

"You abandoned me. You abandoned me after they died. You were my godfather and you didn't even care that I was an orphan," Naruto shouted at the old man.

It was at that point that Tsunade stepped in. "Naruto's right, Jiraiya. Minato and Kushina named you Naruto's godfather, and you left him all alone with Sarutobi. It wasn't fair to Naruto or to our teacher. But I'm not surprised, the only thing you cared about was spying on women and trying to talk sense into Orochimaru."

Jiraiya stood rooted to the spot. "Orochimaru wasn't my fault," he raged. "I didn't drive him to his madness, and I didn't abandon Naruto. I left him in the care of someone more responsible."

"But you were supposed to be the responsible one. You were the one who was charged with taking care of Naruto," Tsunade shouted back.

Just as the blonde woman was about to strike Jiraiya, Naruto grabbed her arm. Tsunade looked at her son and saw the hurt and sadness in his eyes. "Let's just go. Come on, let's go," the blonde boy pleaded.

Tsunade's body relaxed and she placed a comforting hand on her son's back. Leading Naruto away, Tsunade glared back at Jiraiya over her shoulder. She saw the weight of all his years resting on his shoulders. Sighing, she looked away, putting the past behind her, and hoping that her son would recover from this.

Naruto jerked awake as the train shuddered to a stop. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Naruto looked out the window and saw that they were one stop away from the cemetery. Naruto gently nudged his sister's shoulder, whispering in her ear to wake up. Shizune's eyes fluttered as she escaped the clutches of Morpheus. Yawning, Shizune turned to Naruto and asked, "Are we there yet?"

"Just one more stop. It's only ten minutes now," the blonde responded.

Nodding, Shizune stretched out the stiffness in her shoulders. Shizune looked over at her brother and slipped her hand into his. Squeezing his hand tightly, Shizune gave the blonde a reassuring smile. "You know," she spoke softly. "This is the first time you've ever asked me to come visit your parents with you. Why is that?"

"I don't really know. I'd always tell them about you, but I don't know why I never asked you to come. I'm really glad that you're here with me now, I don't think I could do this alone," the blonde answered quietly.

"Do what Naruto?"

The blonde smiled at his sister and said, "Tell them that I'm in love."

Shizune's eyes widened briefly and she grabbed her brother in a tight hug. She smiled brightly at her brother and asked, "Have you told her yet?"

The blonde shook his head, "Not yet. I'm afraid that I might scare her away. I want to be with her forever, but I don't have to say 'I love you' yet. I'll be patient, the perfect time will come soon."

Shizune patted Naruto's hand gently and said, "It will, I know it. I am surprised that my hyperactive little brother has any patience at all though."

Naruto laughed and gave Shizune a gentle shove in her seat. The two siblings continued their play fighting as the train came to a stop at the station. Stretching out the kinks, Naruto and Shizune disembarked, the blonde leading the way to the cemetery, followed by his sister and the flowers.

Naruto glanced up at the incoming clouds and hoped that it didn't start raining. He and Shizune finally came to a stop at the top of a small hill. Naruto turned to face his parents graves and paused. Shizune stepped up alongside her brother and passed him the bouquet of flowers. Taking the Lavender blossoms, the blonde knelt and laid them a top his mother's grave. Rising, he took a small step back and looked down at the graves in front of him. "Hello Mom...Dad...I'm sorry...sorry that I haven't been back...since...since..."

Naruto's voice halted. Shizune could see him trembling, trying to hold back the emotions that were roiling beneath the surface. Placing a hand on her brother's shoulder, Shizune whispered, "I'll be right over here. Take as much time as you need."

Naruto nodded. Shizune took a few steps backwards until she was out of earshot. She stood silently watching her brother's lips move as he told his parents what was going on in his life. It had been almost ten minutes until Naruto stopped speaking. He stood there silently for a moment, tears streaming down his face. As he turned away his eyes widened slightly, as if he had forgotten she was there. Quickly wiping a hand across his eyes, Naruto flashed his sister a smile. "Hey, sorry I took so long. Shall we head out?"

"It's alright Naruto, we can take our time. It's okay to cry," Shizune replied.

"I'm fine now Shizune, trust me. I'm just tired, can we head back home now?"

"Sure, Naruto," Shizune said. "We can head back, but we can't go home yet."

"Why not?" the blonde asked.

"Well, we still have to go to dinner. It's still your birthday, we have to end on a happy note."

Naruto sighed. "Alright, alright. Let's get to the train and head to dinner...but you're paying."

Shizune smiled. "That's fine, but I get to pick where we go."

Realizing that he had been beaten, Naruto reluctantly agreed. The siblings left the cemetery and made their way back to the train station. As soon as they boarded the train, the skies opened up and the rain came down hard. Naruto looked out the window and frowned slightly. He always hated when it rained on his birthday, it always made him sleepy. He felt Shizune place a hand on his shoulder. He could tell that she was saying something to him, but sleep was fogging his mind. Before he knew it, he had slipped off in the arms of Morpheus.

* * *

><p>Izumi stopped outside of the Akimichi Family Restaurant. Gazing at the glass door to the building, Izumi mustered her courage and opened the door. As she stepped inside she was met by a young man with brown hair. "Sorry lady, the whole place is booked up tonight. You better head on out."<p>

Izumi was caught off guard by the brunette's brusque manner. She hesitated for a second under his stare before speaking. "Um...actually, Shizune told me to be here. I'm Izumi."

She could see the shock in his eyes as she finished speaking. "So _you're _Izumi? The girl Naruto asked out?" he asked incredulously.

The raven haired woman nodded slowly, still surprised by the man's way of speaking. She flinched slightly when the man let out a barking laugh. "Well, come on in, come in," he said, leading her in by the arm. "Hey babe, come meet Naruto's girlfriend."

The man's shout called to him a young woman with bright pink hair. She walked towards them, still engaged in conversation with the blue haired woman next to her. With her head still looking back over her shoulder, the woman introduced herself. "Hi there, I'm-"

She was cut off by a gasp from Izumi. The two woman looked each other in the eye and Izumi whispered the pinkette's name quietly. "Sakura...from the hospital."

Sakura and the brunette man both froze at the sound of her voice. Sakura quickly clamped a hand over Izumi's mouth and pushed the older woman towards the bathroom. Kiba watched in confusion as his girlfriend pushed Naruto's girlfriend into the bathroom. Kiba shrugged and muttered, "Well, when you gotta go, you gotta go."

* * *

><p>AN: Ugh, I'm so sorry it took this long. It seems that I've been setting unreasonable goals for myself regarding my release speed. Hopefully, this chapter (which is the longest so far) will make up for it. Lot's of twists and turns here, and still more to come. So, next chapter will show us the excitement of Naruto's birthday and a few more surprises. So please review, and always remember, flames are welcome. Thanks again.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9 The Party, and more surprises

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto. If I did, it would have major gender swaps.

* * *

><p>Izumi winced as her back impacted with the door to the bathroom. As the door slammed shut behind the two women, Sakura removed her hand from Izumi's mouth. Leaning back against the door, Sakura swiftly bolted it shut. Exhaling a heavy sigh, Sakura gazed apologetically at the older woman. "Sorry about that," the pinkette said. "I haven't told Kiba yet about my trip to the hospital. I planned on telling him later on tonight."<p>

"I'm sorry if I caused you any problems. I just never expected you to be a friend of Naruto's. I should have realized when I met his sister," Izumi replied.

"It's okay, I love Kiba, but honestly, he's a little slow sometimes. Not like, slow in his studies, but slow on the uptake. He can be pretty oblivious sometimes, he's kinda like Naruto in that regard," Sakura explained.

Izumi nodded silently. "I never noticed that about Naruto, but then again, he didn't really notice my interest in him until recently."

Sakura giggled at Izumi's response. Stifling her laughter, Sakura replied, "Oh, he noticed, trust me. The thing about Naruto is, he doesn't have much confidence when it comes to women."

Sakura's look darkened as she continued. "He used to have a crush on me, you know. Back in high school he really liked me, but he couldn't muster the courage to ask. When he finally did go to ask me, someone beat him to it. That bastard, Uchiha Sasuke, he had asked me out before Naruto. I had thought that I was in love with Sasuke, so I didn't care about Naruto's feelings. I really should have turned Sasuke down, that bastard..."

Izumi looked at Sakura with concerned eyes. Swallowing, Izumi quietly asked, "What did he do?"

"That bastard dated me for two weeks, he made me sleep with him. He dumped me right after I slept with him, saying he didn't have a need for used goods. He cast me aside like I was garbage, and I felt like it. I was so depressed after that, and not just because I got dumped, but because Naruto had given up his crush on me. Maybe it was for the best though, if I had gone out with Naruto, Kiba and I would have never gotten together. I still hate Sasuke, but his arrogance helped me find the love of my life," the pinkette said, fighting back tears at the end of her tale.

Izumi placed a delicate hand on the pinkette's shoulder. Before Izumi could say a word to comfort the younger woman, Sakura wiped her eyes and smiled. "Well, that's all in the past, and I'm with Kiba now," the pinkette said nonchalantly. "Anyway, I'm looking at your outfit and I can only think that Shizune forgot to tell you the theme of the party."

Izumi looked down at her dress. It was a deep, midnight blue v-neck dress with a short ruffled skirt. Her dark blue, very sensible, flats did not seem to fit with the very revealing v-neck. Izumi looked over Sakura's outfit and wondered what the theme could be. Sakura's outfit was a simple gray pencil skirt and a tight fitting orange blouse. The pinkette was wearing a pair of flats as well, in a matching orange color. As Izumi looked back at Sakura's face, she saw a playful smirk plastered on it. "Any ideas on what the theme could be?"

Izumi shook her head. Sakura chuckled quietly and said, "It's orange. It's Naruto's favorite color, so we all agreed to wear it tonight. You saw Kiba out there right? He's wearing his black slacks with an orange shirt that I had to steal from Naruto. He just threw his work vest over it to complete it. I'm surprised that everyone agreed so easily though, I figured I'd have to fight to get Ino out of purple."

"Hmm...I don't have time to go and change, what should I do?" Izumi asked, her voice full of concern. Sakura relaxed into a contemplative pose, and began to circle around Izumi. After making one full circuit, Sakura clapped her hands together and said cheerily, "Nothing, your dress is perfect, it'll guarantee that Naruto's eye will always be drawn to you. Though, I have an idea on how you can fit the theme without changing."

Izumi gave Sakura a bright smile and asked, "Well, what's your idea?"

Reaching into her skirt pocket, Sakura pulled out an orange ribbon. Ducking around behind Izumi, the pinkette quickly tied the older woman's hair into a simple ponytail. "There, now you fit the theme," Sakura replied.

Izumi gazed in the bathroom mirror and did a quick turn to get a good look. "I love it, thank you Sakura," Izumi said with a smile.

"No problem, now let's get out of here before people start to talk," Sakura laughed.

Izumi nodded. The two women smiled at each other and Sakura unbolted the bathroom door. Before either of them could open it, it crashed open to reveal two other women. Izumi examined the two women carefully. The first was a blue haired woman that Sakura identified as Hinata. Hinata was wearing a beautiful orange kimono with a green obi. Behind her was a sandy blonde woman who's name was Temari. The blonde was wearing black jeans and snug orange shirt. She had rolled the sleeves of the shirt up past her elbows. Temari was giving Izumi and Sakura a dark look. "You do know that this restroom is for all of us, right?"

"We know Temari, we were just finishing. If you needed to go so bad, why didn't you knock?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I don't need to, but Hinata knocked three times and no one opened the door," Temari curtly replied.

"I'm very sorry Temari, but Sakura was helping me meet the theme of the party, see?" Izumi added, holding out the ribbon for the other woman to see. Hinata used a sleeve of her kimono to hide her amused smile as Temari just shook her head. "Whatever, let's just get back, I let Kankuro out of his cage tonight, and I don't want him to screw anything up," Temari said, exiting the bathroom.

Sakura looked at Izumi and shrugged. The two women sighed and left the bathroom. Sakura led Izumi to a large rectangular table, with chairs only along one side and on the ends. Izumi looked at the four chairs and noticed that each seat had a name card. On the side of the table were cards for Naruto and Shizune, with Sakura and Kiba at the ends. Izumi watched as Sakura picked up all of the cards except Naruto's and repositioned them. She left the seat next to Naruto's without a card, and placed Shizune on one end. Turning to the table next to them, Sakura grabbed a card labeled Ino and placed it on the other end.

"There, that should work," Sakura muttered. Suddenly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Reading the message on the screen, Izumi flinched as she heard Sakura curse. "Why can't anyone relay information faster?" the pinkette muttered. Taking Shizune's name card from the table, she placed it at the table with Iruka and Ayame. Scanning the room, Sakura tried to figure out who would be best to place with Ino at the table. Sighing, Sakura shrugged and said, "Oh well, it'll just be three at this table."

Stretching, Sakura turned to Izumi and said, "Well, make yourself comfortable, Naruto and Shizune will get here in about a half hour."

Izumi nodded and took a seat at the table and looked around the room. It seemed that every guest was dressed in some form of orange or another. As she scanned the room, her eyes fell on an attractive blonde woman in a low-cut orange cocktail dress. The blonde caught Izumi looking at her and smiled. She quickly made her way across the room towards Izumi. Sitting down at the end of the table, she introduced herself. "Hi there, I'm Yamanaka Ino. You must be Izumi, Whiskers has told me a lot about you."

"Whiskers?" Izumi asked with a confused expression.

"Come on, you can't tell me that those little scars don't look like whiskers? It gives him this exotic look. If he was a little more outgoing with the ladies, he'd have probably had a few girlfriend's in his life, instead just one."

With that, Ino rose and smiled down at Izumi. "You're really lucky, y'know? That guy has a hard time getting close to anyone. So for him to hit it off with you so easily just shows how much he cares for you," the blonde woman said.

As Ino turned away from the older woman, she halted. Returning her attention to Izumi, Ino spoke quietly. "Just make sure you don't hurt him. He's been burned before, and no one here will ever forgive you if you hurt him...least of all me," that blonde said, adding the last part under her breath. Ino walked away from the beautiful woman who was dating the love of her life. She prayed that she wasn't too hard on Izumi. She liked the woman, and she liked that Izumi cared for Naruto, but there was something off about her. Something about the woman reminded Ino of Sasuke, but Ino couldn't figure out why.

Shrugging it off as just jealousy, Ino made her way over Choji at the kitchen. "So, is the kitchen set for the party?" she asked the heavyset young man.

"Yeah, everything is prepared, and we've even got some ramen courtesy of that girl Ayame," Choji said confidently. Lowering his voice, he asked, "How does she know Naruto anyway?"

"He's been going to her family's ramen stand since he was two. I met her recently by coincidence and I asked Sakura to invite her."

Choji nodded his understanding and slipped back into the kitchen. Ino leaned back against the wall and watched her friends milling about the room, all of them glancing over at Naruto's new girlfriend. When Ino noticed Lee making his way over, she decided to step in. The blonde stepped into Lee's path and smiled brightly at the young man in a bright orange jumpsuit with green leg warmers. Placing a firm hand on Lee's shoulder, Ino whispered quietly to him, "Hey, why don't you go see Neji? He told me he had something to talk to you about before. Quick, he's heading into the men's room now."

"YOSH! I will go see what my youthful friend Neji wants from me," Lee shouted running off after Neji. As soon as Lee entered the bathroom, Ino grabbed Shikamaru and ordered, "Go lock that door, Now!"

Pushing Shikamaru away, Ino sighed as she heard him mutter about troublesome blondes. Leaving Shikamaru to do her dirty work, Ino grabbed two glasses of water from a nearby table and sat down next to Izumi. Passing the raven haired woman a glass, Ino smiled softly at the other woman. "I'm sorry about before, I'm a little protective of Naruto. He always used to be there for me after a bad break-up, I kinda got used to having him around all the time," Ino explained.

Izumi smiled at Ino and took a sip of water. "It's alright, I understand. Can I ask you something though? Why did he stop being there for you?"

Ino let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, that. It's simple, I stopped dating," Ino said with a smile.

Izumi gave Ino a confused look. "Why would you stop dating? What could cause that?" the raven haired woman asked.

"Why? It's easy, when your dating life enters into a familiar pattern, you realize that you need to do something different," Ino replied. The blonde watched Izumi carefully, the confused look never leaving the older woman's face. Ino calmly took another sip from her glass and placed it on the table next to her.

"You want to know what that pattern was, don't you?" Izumi nodded at Ino's question.

"Well, let's see. Monday I'd meet a guy, and they'd all fit the same type. Tall, muscular, and kinda dumb. We'd spend the week going out, and come Friday, I'd find out that he was going out with another girl...though there was one that was two-timing me with another guy, man that was awkward. Anyway, we'd fight, I'd dump him, and then, crying of course, I'd show up at Naruto's. He'd let me in, I'd tell him all about the jerk that I just dumped. He'd always listen, always say something nice. Then he'd let me pick out a movie, we'd watch it together. Then he'd let me sleep over, making me take his room, while he slept on the couch. Then we'd go hang out on Saturday, hit the mall, the movies, sometimes we just went for a walk. Then I'd go home, spend Sunday alone with my family. Come Monday morning I'd find a new guy, and the process would start all over."

As Ino finished her story, she retrieved her drink and took another sip. She had stopped smiling halfway through her tale and was now watching Izumi carefully. She took another sip before continuing. "You can see now, why I stopped. I was practically ruining his life. He had no time for himself, no time to find himself a girlfriend. I felt so bad, so guilty, that I decided to just stop. I still hung out with him as often as I could, but I was always trying to set him up with someone. Poor guy was oblivious to all my attempts."

"Maybe he had feelings for you, maybe he wanted to go out with you?" Izumi asked quietly.

Ino's response shocked her, however. The blonde had laughed. "No, no, he never felt that way about me. In high school he was in love with Sakura, but this little bastard named Sasuke crushed him by asking out Sakura first. Once he saw that Sakura had been hurt by Sasuke, Naruto couldn't even think of asking her out, he was too afraid he'd hurt her too, so he just gave up. I tried to talk him out of his decision to spend high school single, I even tried to talk him into asking out one of his friends, but he refused. But enough of this depressing talk, this isn't why I came over anyway."

Standing up from her seat, Ino shifted over so that she was seated right next to Izumi. "The real reason I came over was so that I could tell you who everyone is, before someone like Lee scarred you for life," the blonde said with a smirk.

Izumi graced the blonde woman with a small smile. "Alright then, but who is Lee?"

"You saw the guy with the bowl-cut and the bright orange jumpsuit, right?"

"Yes," Izumi replied.

"That was Lee. He's a nice guy, really, just a little creepy. He's a martial arts instructor at his old teacher's school. If you ever found yourself in a fight, you'd want Lee at your side. More than Kiba or even Naruto, you'd want Lee. He's the only one tougher than Naruto."

At that moment, there was a loud crash. Both women looked over to see an orange blur skid across the floor as the bathroom door hung from a single hinge. As the slightly bruised Lee rose from his position, a young man with long brown hair strode out of the bathroom with a murderous glare. Izumi heard a chuckle come from beside her. Looking over at the younger woman, she asked, "If Lee is the only one who could beat Naruto, what does that make the other man?"

"That other man, with the murderous glare is Hyuuga Neji. He's the nephew of the head of the Hyuuga Group. Lee likes Neji a lot and wants to be friends with him, the only problem is that Neji can't stand Lee," Ino replied cheerily.

Izumi watched as Neji reached into the sleeve of his orange formal kimono and pulled out a check book. Tossing it to a heavy set young man, Izumi heard him say, "Just fill out the amount necessary. I'll sign it later."

As Neji made a move to attack Lee again, a brunette woman in an orange chinese dress stepped into his path. Izumi heard Ino chuckle again and looked over. "Well, see the woman with the buns? That's Neji's girlfriend Tenten, she's the only one who can keep Neji from killing Lee. She's really nice, you'd like her," Ino remarked.

Scanning the room, Ino pointed at the blue haired woman Izumi saw in the bathroom. "That's Hyuuga Hinata, daughter of the head of the Hyuuga Group, and Neji's cousin. She's always been a little quiet, but she's really sweet, she's dating the CEO of Kazekage Industries, Sabaku Gaara. He's the red head over there," Ino said, point towards a corner of the room containing the red headed Gaara as well as two brown-haired men, one whose hair looked like a pineapple.

"The taller brunette over there is his older brother Kankuro, he's unemployed at the moment, that man cannot hold down a job. The pineapple head over there is my childhood friend, Nara Shikamaru. He's dating Gaara's older sister, Temari, she's the blonde talking to Hinata. Shikamaru is planning on helping our other friend Choji, the 'plump' guy darting in and out of the kitchens. They plan to open their own restaurant after college. I always figure Choji would take this place over when he was out of school, his parents own it after all. Anyway, you already met Sakura and Kiba, so that leaves Shino, he's the dark haired guy with the sunglasses. No idea why he wears them, he just does, all the time. Last but not least, over there in the other corner, trying not to look at each other are Umino Iruka and Ichiraku Ayame. Iruka was our teacher back in middle school. Naruto practically drove him insane, but despite that, the two are like brothers. Ayame you've met before I think, Naruto took you to her family's ramen stand, didn't he?"

Izumi nodded. "Yes, he took me there for dinner after our movie disaster. It was a very nice place, I'd love to go again," she said with a smile.

Ino was smiling along with Izumi as Sakura came over. Taking a seat in the vacant chair, Sakura rested her head down on the table. Sighing heavily, she asked, "Why did I decide to plan this?"

"Because Naruto's our friend, and he deserves an amazing party, and you're a masochist," Ino said sarcastically. "Oh, I wanted to ask you, why did you move Shizune to Iruka and Ayame's table?"

"Because Shizune invited a date, they're supposed to be here by now. It's strange though, they haven't shown up yet," Sakura replied.

At that moment, the doors to the restaurant flew open and a violet haired woman strode in. "Hey, this is a private party, you can't just barge in," Kiba shouted at the woman. The violet haired woman undid the belt of her orange trench coat and glared at the loudmouth Inuzuka. Pushing him to the side, she walked over to the three girls and gave them a terrifying smile. "So, Pinky, you the party planner?" she asked sweetly.

"Uh...yeah...who are you?"

"I'm Mitarashi Anko, Shizune's guest. Does my outfit fit with the theme?" Anko spun around, her coat flowing out to reveal that she what she was wearing underneath. The Sakura and Izumi blushed crimson as the realized that Anko was wearing nothing more than a fishnet top and a short skirt under her trench coat. Ino let out a low whistle and asked, "Where can I get an outfit like that?"

"I got it at this shop called-" Anko said before she was cut off.

"Okay, talk about that later, away from us. Anyway, you're Shizune's date?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"She actually said 'date' when she told you?"

"Well, yeah," Sakura replied.

Anko's face flushed slightly at that. "Aww...she does love me, that's so sweet," Anko squealed. "Yeah, I'm Shizune's girlfriend, just don't let her mom know yet, we wanna mess with her."

Laughing, Anko ruffled Sakura's hair and looked appraisingly at Ino. Her gaze flicked over to Izumi and examined her outfit. "Hey, Blondie, I thought the theme was orange, so why is the sad girl wearing blue?"

"Sad girl? Izumi shouldn't be sad, especially not tonight anyway," Ino replied.

"Why's that?"

"Because it's her boyfriend's birthday," Ino said with a giggle.

"Ah, so you're the girl Shizune told me about. Nice to meet you, but Blondie, you still didn't answer my question."

"I can answer it," Izumi said, rising from her seat. Spinning around, Izumi flicked her hair out so Anko could see the orange ribbon. "See, I'm following the theme."

"Nice one girlie. They forgot to tell you about the 'orange' thing, didn't they?"

"Yes, your girlfriend was very lapse about that." The girls all laughed at that, and continued to chat while they waited for Shizune's call. Fifteen minutes later, all of them still laughing, Kiba came running over. "Shizune just called, they'll be here in 5 minutes," he said breathlessly.

"Places everyone," Sakura and Ino shouted simultaneously. The two friends glared at each other and made their way towards their respective places. Ino grabbed Izumi by the arm and dragged her behind the center table. Ducking down, Ino whispered to her, "Hey, want to mess with Naruto a little bit?"

Izumi though about this for a moment before replying. "Sure, what do we do?"

Ino gave Izumi a smile similar to the one she'd seen on Naruto. That foxy grin spelled nothing but trouble, and as Izumi heard what the blonde's plan was, she was worried that Naruto's mind might break.

* * *

><p>"Here we are," Shizune said happily. "The Akimichi's restaurant."<p>

Naruto looked up at the sign hanging above the front door and wondered why his sister wanted to come here. Shrugging, Naruto stepped forward and opened the door for Shizune and ushered her in. The raven haired woman quickly darted into the building, leaving the blonde standing there in the slow rain. Closing their umbrella, Naruto shook it out lightly before darting into the restaurant himself.

Leaving the umbrella by the door, Naruto made his way towards the hostess stand where Shizune was waiting. Scanning the room, Naruto noticed that there didn't seem to be any patrons tonight. Confused by the lack of business, Naruto looked to his sister who just gave him a knowing smile. Just as he was about to question her, the lights in the room brightened and a multitude of voices shouted, "SURPRISE!"

Jumping slightly at the greeting, Naruto's eyes darted around to the faces of his many friends gathered there. His gaze came to a stop in the center of the room, where he saw his...girlfriend and best female friend. His eye's widened and jaw dropped as he saw the position the two women were in. Ino was standing behind Izumi, one hand resting on the raven haired woman's stomach, the other cupping her right breast. The blonde was gently nuzzling her nose into the crook of Izumi's neck, working her way towards the older woman's collar bone. Izumi, who was still leery about playing along, had leaned her head back against the younger woman's shoulder while her left hand was reaching up to fist itself into her long blonde locks.

Naruto stood transfixed as he saw the compromising position his girlfriend was in, wondering just what he should do next. The decision was made for him as Ino finally reached Izumi's collar bone and the older woman let out a low moan. The blood rushed to the blonde male's face and his bright blue eyes rolled up into his head. The rest of the group watched, stunned, as Naruto passed out and fell to the floor.

Sakura turned to the two women and shot Ino an angry glare. The blonde met the pinkette's glare head on and just laughed. Releasing Izumi, Ino sank into her chair and continued to laugh as Shizune and Gaara struggled to wake the comatose birthday boy. "Well, I'm sure that was the best birthday present he's gotten," Ino said between fits of laughter.

Five minutes later, the still slightly stunned Naruto was helped to his feet. He quickly looked towards Ino and Izumi was glad to see that his friend had released his girlfriend. He shot Ino and evil glare, which she met with an innocent smile. Making his way towards the table he playfully ruffled his fellow blonde's hair before coming to a stop next to Izumi. The raven haired woman smiled demurely at her boyfriend and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. Leaning in, she gently placed her lips against his own in a tender kiss, before pulling away and whispering, "Happy Birthday, Naruto."

Naruto and Izumi both blushed at the contact. "Aww...you two are so cute. Is that your first kiss?" sounded a voice from behind the pair. They turned to see Ino sitting there with Naruto's trademark smirk plastered on her face. Naruto held Izumi's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before responding. "So what if it is?" he asked nervously.

"Oh you two are just precious. Now don't mind me, but you have guests to greet. Don't keep them waiting, Whiskers," Ino said dismissively.

"Oh shut up pig, I'm getting to that," Naruto said jokingly. Raising a glass of water from the table, he held it up in salute. "I want to thank everyone for coming tonight, it really means a lot to me to see all of my friends here. I know I haven't been the best friend to you all this past year, but I want to change all that. So let's all celebrate not me, but the great friendship we all share."

Naruto's friends looked at him for a moment, stunned. A few of the women gathered brushed tears from their eyes, while the men raised their glasses as a toast. Smiling out at those who had gathered, Naruto took a sip from his glass before sitting down next to Ino and Izumi. Punching him lightly on the shoulder, Ino leaned over and muttered quietly, "Nice job Whiskers, you always seem to inspire everyone."

"Thanks Ino, now tell me something, why do we have an empty seat here?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, that. Shizune," was all Ino said.

"Shizune?"

"Yeah, it was supposed to be you, her, forehead and the mutt. But Shizune forgot to mention she was inviting your new girlfriend, so that moved me here and Shizune to the side. Then she invited her girlfriend, so that just pissed forehead off enough to shove her over in the corner, with the couple in denial," Ino responded absently.

Naruto nodded understandingly at Ino's comment. "Yeah, for all her planning, Sis always seems to miss something important. I'll make sure she apologizes later," Naruto assured.

"Um...I have a question," Izumi said quietly to the two blondes. Naruto and Ino turned to the raven haired woman and gave her an expectant look. "Sure, what is it?" the two asked simultaneously.

Izumi's eyes widened in surprise at the pairs ability to copy each other. Shaking it off, Izumi asked her question. "I know I'm new, but I'm not following all of the nicknames you two are using."

"Ah, sorry Izumi," Ino replied. "If you're going to be part of our circle of friends, you'll need to know everyone's nicknames, but it looks like we might have an easy way to do this."

"What do you mean Ino?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Everyone has got their gifts to you with them, so I guess while dinner they'll bring them over, we can explain all the nicknames then. Naruto, you address them by name, I'll do nicknames," Ino ordered.

"Agreed," Naruto nodded. A moment later, the servers employed by the Akimichi's exited the kitchen and began placing a variety of appetizers on the tables scattered around the room. Izumi nodded at the servers before digging into a small salad. A few minutes after the appetizers were placed, the first pair of friends came up to deliver their gifts.

"Yosh! Naruto your flames of youth burn brightly today my friend," Lee yelled.

"Hey Lee, thanks man," Naruto replied.

"Keep it down Bushy Brows, you're gonna blow out some ear drums," Ino said sarcastically.

"Please Lee, you promised not to make a scene, Neji's still brooding," Tenten said.

"Oh, so he's why your boyfriend's like that Tenten?" Naruto asked.

"Damn Buns, I thought you could control this one," Ino said, jerking her thumb at Lee.

"I thought so too, until you had Shikamaru lock him in the bathroom with Neji," Tenten responded with a pointed glare.

Holding up her hands in defeat, Ino leaned back and winked at Izumi. The two women watched as Naruto accepted the wrapped packages from the pair. Naruto thanked the two of them and then turned to Tenten and asked, "When's Neji gonna come over and stop brooding?"

"I don't know, you might have to beat some sense into him again," she replied with a smile.

With that, Lee and Tenten went back to their table and began eating. The three at the head table watched in amusement as Lee inadvertently antagonized Neji. He was promptly smacked by Tenten and everything seemed to calm down. The group of three turned back to their appetizers, but before they could continue eating, the next pair arrived.

"Hey Naruto, Happy Birthday," Temari said with a smile. Nudging her boyfriend sharply in the side, Izumi heard him sigh. "Troublesome blondes, anyway, Happy Birthday."

"Wow, Pineapple-head, Fan-girl's got you wrapped around her little finger," Ino smirked. "Oh, and don't think that Whisker's and I missed that little 'blonde' comment."

Shikamaru just sighed as Temari dragged him away. Naruto shook his head and chuckled. "Well, here's hoping this gift doesn't end up the same as the one she gave Kankuro a few years ago," he joked.

"What did she give him?" Izumi asked curiously.

Ino let out a small laugh before answering. "She gave him a beautifully crafted fan, which she then took as 'payment'."

"Why did she do that?"

"Because he broke her favorite fan, so she had to replace it," Naruto replied. "Temari really loves her fans."

Izumi stared incredulously at her boyfriend and his friends, _They're all insane_, she thought. Shaking it off, she realized that someone was introducing themselves to her. "Hello Ms. Izumi, it is nice to meet you," the voice said. Izumi's head snapped towards the sound of the voice, Izumi was surprised to see a somewhat famous face staring back at her. Not realizing what she was doing, Izumi rose and bowed deeply to the man in front of her. "It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Sabaku," she said reverently.

While she was still bowing to the young CEO, Izumi could hear raucous laughter sounding from her left. Turning her head slightly, the raven haired woman could see Ino struggling to keep her seat as she laughed loudly at the situation. A quiet giggle from in front of her brought her attention back to the man before her. As Izumi looked up, she could see a demure blue haired woman standing next to the young man. "Please don't stand on ceremony for Gaara, you'll give him a swelled head," the woman giggled. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Hinata."

"It is very nice to meet you, H-hinata," Izumi stammered slightly. Seeing her nervousness, Ino decided to step in. "Alright Raccoon and Princess, stop making her nervous with your presence, drop you gift off and move along," she ordered dismissively. "I can see Butterfly, Bug-boy, and 'Mr. Destiny' behind you."

Gaara sighed. "We can talk later," he said quietly, passing Naruto his gift with a nod. Hinata gave Izumi a slight bow before following her boyfriend back to the table. Naruto shook his head at Ino's antics and greeted the three men standing before him, with Ino identifying their nicknames right after.

"Chouji."

"Butterfly." Chouji sighed heavily at this.

"Shino."

"Bug-boy." Shino remained impassive at Ino's comment.

"Neji."

"Mr. Destiny."

Here, Neji decided that he was not done brooding and glared at Ino. "Can you please not call me that," he asked angrily.

"Nope!" Ino replied in a sing-song tone. "You spent years spouting off about 'Destiny this' and 'Fate that', if you didn't want me to call you that, you shouldn't have done it."

Neji met Ino's foxy grin with a sour grimace. Passing his gift over to Naruto, Neji stormed off to the corner to sulk. Chouji shook his head and muttered a vague apology on Neji's behalf before moving on himself. Shino was the last of the three to hand over his gift, and as he did so he placed a second gift on the table. Naruto gave Shino a confused look as he picked up the second gift.

"I'll elaborate. The second one is Kankuro's gift. He angered Temari earlier today and she has no forbid him from speaking," Shino explained.

Ino leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "So, Cat-pajamas got in trouble again, huh?" she drawled. "You know, I really don't want to know what he did this time."

"I'm with Ino, I don't even want to know," Naruto seconded.

Shino nodded and with that, he left. They were given a brief moment of respite before the last pair of friends came forward. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Forehead and her mutt," Ino said in a snarky tone.

"Oh shut it Pig, at least I have a man," Sakura retorted.

"That was a low blow and you know it," Ino shot back angrily. "But then again, I've always been better than you, so any advantage you can get, right?"

Sakura leaned over the table and brought her face close to the blonde woman's. The pinkette let out a low growl and looked as if she was about strangle to blonde. Kiba stepped forward, hands up in a disarming position, and attempted to calm the two women. "Hey now, can't we all get along?"

The two women shot Kiba a dangerous glare and shouted in unison, "STAY OUT OF THIS DOG-BOY!"

Kiba winced at the shrill tone and backed away quietly, whimpering like a scared dog. As the two women continued to stare angrily at each other, Naruto decided to take a crack at separating them. Standing up, Naruto opened his mouth to speak, only to find Sakura and Ino shooting him a dangerous glare as well. Seating himself, he quickly shifted his chair to the right, bringing him closer to Izumi. Tucking himself in as close to Izumi as possible, she was surprised to hear him whisper in a scared tone. "I'm scared," was all he said, before shrinking down in his seat.

Fed up with the childish actions by the two grown women next to her boyfriend, Izumi rose and slammed her hands down on the table. Jolting apart, Ino and Sakura turned their attention to the older woman, who was now giving them a dangerous glare of her own. "That's enough! Stop acting like children. Sakura, return to your table. Ino, control yourself," she ordered.

The arguing women looked thoroughly cowed, and they apologized to each other before Sakura departed from the table with a grateful Kiba in tow. Izumi looked out across the dining room, making sure to make contact with each guest. Eye's softening, Izumi smiled slightly and asked in a sweet tone, "Now, are there any other guests that would like to come up and congratulate Naruto?"

Iruka and Ayame both shook their heads vigorously. Izumi nodded to them and turned her attention to Naruto's sister and her girlfriend. Shizune shook her head and smiled, while Anko leaned back in her chair with a mischievous grin. "Nah, I'm good. Besides, the brat already knows what my gift to him is anyway," Anko said tiredly.

"Oh, and what is your gift to him?" Izumi asked curiously.

"The best gift of all, me banging his sister," the police officer replied crudely. At that comment, Izumi and Shizune both blushed a bright red as Ino's jaw dropped. Swallowing, Ino looked to Anko and said, almost reverently, "You...are...amazing! We need to hang out girl!"

"Sure thing blondie, maybe when you're older," Anko said snidely.

Sensing trouble, Naruto rose from his seat and raised his glass in another toast. "Well, I think that's enough of that conversation. Also, Anko? Eww."

Everyone took a quick drink from their glasses and turned back to their meals, as dinner had just arrived. As she was eating, Izumi noticed that Gaara and Hinata were conversing in hushed tones. A moment later, Gaara rose. Taping a fork to the side of his water glass, Gaara called for the attention of the other guest. Gazing lovingly at Hinata for a moment, Gaara took a deep breath before speaking. "I know that we're all gathered here today to celebrate our dear friend Naruto, but I'd like to take this time to make another announcement. I know that this might detract from Naruto's party, but I need to say this now," he said deliberately.

"I would like to announce that not long ago, I asked Hyuuga Hinata to marry me. She said yes," was all the redhead could get out cheers erupted from the gathered friends. The newly engaged couple were bombarded with questions from all present. The happy couple fielded the questions as best they could for a few minutes, before everyone went suspiciously quiet. The crowd of happy well-wishers parted to reveal a stone-faced Naruto. The blonde quickly approached the table, coming to a halt in front of his best friend.

"Gaara," he said quietly. "Are you really getting married?"

"Yes, I am," Gaara replied confidently. The crowd watched with bated breath as the blonde stared down his fractionally taller friend. Gaara met Naruto's stare with one of his own expressionless looks, waiting to see what the blonde would do. A moment later, Naruto's face split into his trademark grin as he pulled the startled redhead into a big bear hug. Lifting the surprised CEO off the ground, Naruto squeezed the man as tight as he could. "That's amazing," he shouted. "I can't wait for the wedding, did you set a date yet?"

Extricating himself from Naruto's grip, Gaara dropped back to the floor and straightened out his orange vest. "We haven't set a date yet, but I want to ask you something," Gaara replied. "Since Hinata and I plan on having a Western style wedding, I was wondering if you would be my best man?"

"You want me to be your best man?" Naruto asked in shock. There was a brief silence before Naruto shouted, "Of course I will!"

Gaara smiled softly. He watched as Naruto turned to Hinata and grabbed her up in a similar bear hug and spun her around. "So, are you excited?" the blonde asked her with a smile.

"Of course I am, but could you please put me down," Hinata responded with a demure smile of her own. Blushing, Naruto lowered the blue haired girl to the floor before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Stepping back, Naruto watched the looks on Gaara and Hinata's faces, wishing that someday he could be that happy. Glancing over at Izumi, who was smiling happily at Gaara and Hinata, Naruto wondered if that someday he and Izumi would be in the same position. Surrounded by happy friends and family, announcing their love for each other. Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Naruto realized it was too soon to be thinking about those kinds of things.

A few more hearty congratulations from the gathered friends, and they all returned to their meals. Twenty minutes and twenty bowls of ramen later, the plates were cleared away and everyone returned their attention to the head table. Wiping his mouth off on his napkin, Naruto looked to his fellow blonde and asked, "Why are they all staring at me?"

"Easy Whiskers, they want you to open your gifts now," Ino replied irritably. "Honestly, you cannot be this dumb."

Shooting Ino a sharp glare, Naruto rose to retrieve his first gift. As he turned, he almost crashed into a box wrapped in bright green paper. Taking the box, he saw Izumi smiling warmly at him. Leaning forward, she whispered with a smile, "I'll pass them to you, don't worry."

Nodding back at her, Naruto placed the first gift on the table and read the tag. "Let's see, this one is from...Lee. Let's see what it is," he said as he started to rip off the paper. Opening the box, Naruto quickly hid a look of disgust as he pulled a bright green jumpsuit out of the box. Flashing a wry smile at the karate instructor, Naruto quickly placed the monstrosity back in it's box. Passing the box to Ino, he subtly mouthed the words "Burn it" to her, before returning his attention to Lee. "Thanks so much Lee, it's great."

"Yosh! I am glad my good friend can appreciate such a wonderful gift," Lee shouted in joy.

Shaking his head, Naruto turned to Izumi and accepted the second gift. "Let's see...ah, Neji and Tenten. Thanks you two," Naruto said with a smile. He pulled the plain white paper off box and opened it. Rising, he gently lifted the garment out of the box. Unfolding it, he ran his hands over the silky fabric of the formal, orange kimono. Turning it over, he noticed that the back had been emblazoned with a spiral, the same symbol his mother had supposedly used. Smiling softly, he gingerly folded the kimono returned it to it's packaging.

"Thank you, this means a lot to me," he said, voice wavering.

"You're welcome Naruto, I hope you'll find the right occasion for it," Tenten replied with a bright smile.

Wiping a tear away, a smiled widely and nodded. Passing the box to Ino, he watched from the corner of his eye as she placed it far away from Lee's gift. Naruto chuckled as he accepted another gift from Izumi. After searching for a moment, he realized that there was no tag on this package. Holding it up for everyone to see, he asked, "Okay, who's gift is this? There's no tag on it."

"Isn't that part of Shizune's? It was delivered here with her gift," Sakura said, curiosity plain on her face. Naruto frowned slightly and looked to his sister. Seeing her shake her head and shrug, Naruto's frown deepened as he placed the package on the table. Taking great care to not disturb the gift, he gently peeled the paper off. Taking the lid off of the box, he peeked inside quickly, before slamming the lid back down. Taking a discarded ribbon from Tenten and Neji's gift, he quickly tied the box up. Snatching the box off the table top, he stomped across the restaurant and opened the door. His friends watched in horror as the blonde hurled the gift out into the street. Slamming the door, he stalked back to his seat, muttering under his breath. Whipping his head towards Shizune, he growled angrily, "I'm gonna kill him, I swear I'm gonna kill him, perverted bastard."

"Oh no, Jiraiya?" Shizune asked. Naruto nodded.

"You know what he filled that box with? Porn, tons of it. I don't need his smut, and if I see him again I'm gonna kill him twice," the blonde shouted. Dropping back into his seat, Naruto's shoulders slumped and he laid his head on the table. Izumi placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder and gently massaged his back. Everyone watched as the raven haired woman comforted the agitated blonde. They were so distracted by the adorable couple in front of them, that no one noticed Kankuro slipping out the door after the package.

A minute or two later, Naruto resumed opening his gifts. Using this as a distraction, Sakura nudged Kiba and motioned for him to follow her. Dragging her boyfriend into the shadows, Sakura leaned back against the wall, wondering how to start. Thankfully, Kiba spoke first. "So what's wrong babe? I figured you'd be all over the gift thing," he asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Sakura looked up at her boyfriend and took a deep breath. "I have something I need to tell you, and I need privacy to do it," she replied.

Kiba's heart sank. _This is it, she's dumping me. Dammit, I don't want this to end, I love her too much_, Kiba thought sadly. He gently gripped her upper arm and pulled her closer to him. "What do you need to tell me?" he asked tentatively.

"Kiba, there's no easy way to say this, and if I could avoid it I would," she began, unwittingly depressing her boyfriend further. He watched in silence as she continued to beat around the bush. "I know that this might shock you, and I understand if you won't want to see me anymore afterwards, but you deserve to know the truth."

Kiba braced himself for the hammer to fall. The next words she spoke certainly did drop the hammer on Kiba, just not the hammer he was expecting. "Kiba, I'm pregnant," Sakura whispered softly.

_She's pregnant? She's not dumping me? Wait, pregnant? I'm gonna be a father? What do I do? What do I say? Dammit _Dog-boy_ say something you idiot_. All these thoughts ran through Kiba's mind in the space of a second. He gazed at the terrified look on his girlfriend's face and decided that he needed to respond immediately. Unfortunately, Kiba's reflex to blurt things out took over and he shouted, "YOU'RE PREGNANT?"

Realizing what he'd just done, he slapped a hand over his own mouth and cursed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout it out, I was just shocked, I thought you were gonna dump me," he blurted out quietly.

"How could you think that?" Sakura demanded. "I love you Kiba, and I want to be with you."

"I want to be with you too, I was just surprised, I'm sorry I shouted."

"It's alright, but what do we do now?"

"We raise this child together, to be honest, I'd like to ask you to marry me, but I know you'll say no," Kiba told her.

"How did you know I'd say no?" Sakura asked him.

"Easy, you'd want me to ask you because I love you, not because I'm obligated. I will ask you one day, when I prove how much I love you."

Sakura smiled softly and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist. "So, we're really going to do this? We're going to raise this child together?"

"Of course," Kiba replied, pulling her close and kissing her on her forehead. The two stayed pressed against each other for a moment, until they heard a multitude of voices sigh happily. The couple's heads snapped to the side and they stared at the gathered group of friends there. Naruto was standing out in front of the group and the blonde quickly jumped forward and asked excitedly, "Are you really pregnant Sakura?"

Sakura studied the excited boy. _He's so excited, even though it's not his kid,_ she thought. She smiled softly at her friend, "Yes Naruto, I really am."

The blonde nodded and turned to Kiba, smile slipping. Stepping forward, he backed Kiba up to the wall and spoke menacingly, "You will take good care of her, won't you?"

Kiba's eyes widened fractionally before he steeled his gaze glared back at Naruto. "Of course I will, what kinda scum do you take me for?" Kiba shot back. The two men glared harshly at each other for a few moments, before Naruto grinned cheekily and slapped the brunette on the back. "I'm just testing you, I know you'll take good care of her," he said happily.

"Well, now that you two are done embarrassing each other, and me, can we continue with Naruto's party?" Sakura asked sarcastically. As the two men nodded, she turned to Naruto and asked, "So, who's gifts did you open?"

"Well, right after that bastard's gift was Kankuro's, a wooden mannequin for my figure drawing. Next was Iruka, a few history and philosophy books. I opened Ayame's next, thanks again for the ramen recipes and the free ramen coupon," he said with a smile. "After that was from Chouji, cooking supplies, gonna use them to make ramen. The last one I opened before Kiba's shout was from Temari and Shikamaru. I really can't thank you two enough, it's just like the one in the picture."

"What was it?" Sakura asked.

"It was a coat like my Dad's. It's the same as the one he's wearing in the photo with my Mom," Naruto replied with a wistful smile. Sakura smiled softly at the blonde. She knew that while he never knew his parents, he always loved them and wanted to be like them. She remembered vividly the photo he was talking about. It was taken around a month before Naruto was born, a smiling Kushina and Minato dominated the shot. Minato was wearing a long white coat with flames around the bottom. Naruto had loved that coat, but could never find it among his parents possessions. "I'm happy for you, so who's gift is up next?" Sakura asked as they made their way back in to the dining room.

"Your's and Kiba's actually," Naruto said with a smirk.

"Well, let's get to it," Sakura ordered.

The group made returned to their seats as Naruto took the top off of the already unwrapped box. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small stuffed fox. Looking at it curiously, Naruto turned to Sakura and Kiba who were laughing hysterically at him. "What the hell? Can I get an explanation of what's so funny?"

"Sorry man, our gift hasn't arrived yet, don't worry, it'll be here in a day or two," Kiba replied.

"But until then, how does this sound as a gift, Naruto, will you be our child's godfather?" Sakura asked between laughs.

Naruto's jaw dropped slightly. "I don't know what to say, of course I will!" he shouted. "I'm honored, I'll be the best godfather ever!"

Shizune watched her brother carefully. She knew how much the blonde hated his own godfather, and how hard he'd try to be a better one. Shizune caught movement out of the corner of her eye and heard Anko whisper in her ear. "So what's got him so excited about being a godfather?" the violet haired woman asked.

Shizune watched as her brother opened the gift from Gaara and Hinata. "You remember I told you about Naruto's childhood? That he was raised by my mother's teacher for the beginning of his life before Mom adopted him?" Anko nodded.

"Well, you saw the gift box of porn from that man, Jiraiya?" Anko nodded again.

"Well, that man is my Mom's ex-husband. He's also Naruto's godfather. He abandoned Naruto right after his parent's died. He never lived up to his responsibilities, and he never cared. Now he wants in to Naruto's life, he's scum."

Shizune returned her attention to Naruto as he was still admiring the hand-crafted suit that the happily engaged couple. His sister watched as he replaced the suit and picked up the small box from her and their mother. Naruto quickly ripped the paper off the box and opened it. Inside was a small leather-bound photo album. Naruto flipped open the album and scanned the pictures it contained. His eyes widened and his head snapped up to look at his sister.

Shizune just smiled and said, "I thought you'd like it. Mom got them from her own albums as well as some of your Grandfather's. We put it together for you."

"Thanks Sis, this means so much," Naruto said through a few tears. He wiped his eyes and placed the album back in it's box before passing it over to Ino to put with the rest of the gifts. Silently, still emotional about his mother and sister's gift, Naruto opened the remaining gift. Seeing it was from Shino, he wondered what the strange boy had gotten him. Chuckling, Naruto pulled a bright orange and blue tracksuit out and held it up. "Thanks Shino," he said with a laugh. "Now I won't have to worry about people not seeing me when I run."

The party guests all joined Naruto for a laugh as he passed this last gift to Ino. He looked at her for a moment longer before she responded. "Sorry Whiskers, I couldn't get your gift in my _tiny_ car. Stop by when you get a chance and pick it up."

"Alright, I'll stop by tomorrow and get it."

With that, every readied themselves for dessert. The servers at the restaurant wheeled out a massive cake with bright orange frosting. "Damn, you guys really took the orange them and ran with it," Naruto muttered under his breath. Shaking it off, he stepped forward and made the first slice in the cake. As he pulled the knife out and passed it to the server he heard a chorus of clapping coming from behind him. The clapping soon died out, except for one. Naruto and the others turned their attention to where the clapping was coming from. There, at the door, was the last person any of them wanted to see. Izumi gasped and Naruto clenched his fists and ground his teeth. "Sasuke."

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><p>AN: Oh my god, I'm so sorry it took this long. Between work, my Evangelion fic, and trying to fit the whole party in to one chapter, I've been swamped. Hopefully, you can all forgive me for my near-month long break. I promise that the next chapter will be out much sooner, since I've got a whole week off to work on it. So, next time we get a little action and confrontation with our favorite bastard. So please review, and remember flames are welcome.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10 Volatile Situation

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto. If I did, there would be no Sasuke.

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><p>"Sasuke."<p>

Uchiha Sasuke stood in the doorway to the Akimichi restaurant with five other figures. The arrogant young man stepped forward, halting his mocking applause. "Congratulations dobe, you really know how to celebrate mediocracy," he said with a sneer.

Naruto's gaze hardened as he stepped around the table to face his rival. As he stared down the younger Uchiha, Ino called out from behind him, "This a private party bastard, so get the hell out."

"Quiet whore, learn your place," Sasuke spat back. He was too busy insulting Ino, however, that he did not realize that other men in the room rose as well. Returning his contemptuous gaze to the blonde male, he continued. "Why would anyone want to celebrate the birth of a loser like you? They should be with me, doing what I tell them. But, we'll change that soon. I came here to give you a present, dobe. Seeing as how my last attempt to beat you didn't go as well as I'd hoped, I decided to finish the job."

One of the five behind Sasuke laughed. It was a woman about their age with long red hair. "These fuckers won't stand a damn chance. Fucking losers," she said, swearing loudly.

"Well now, fancy seeing you here, Tayuya," said a voice from Naruto's left. As he looked over he saw his sister's girlfriend rise from her seat, a dish of sake in her hand. She looked over at the woman and gave her a sinister smile. "You might want to re-think your part in this, Officer Hokumon," she said cheerfully.

Tayuya paled. "S-serg-geant M-mitarashi, what are y-you doing here?" she stammered.

"Well, unlike you, I was invited," she replied, smile never slipping.

Backing up towards the door, Tayuya was visibly trembling. "I'm outta here fuckers, no way am I messing with the Sergeant," and with that statement, Tayuya left the restaurant. Anko shrugged and sipped her sake. "Well, can't say I blame her," she muttered before returning to her seat.

Sasuke watched in shock as Tayuya fled. "Bitch, I'll get her for this," he ground out. "Enough of this, I'm going to crush you, and everyone else who gets in my way, and nothing you do will stop me."

This time, it was Shizune who spoke. Rising from her seat, she stepped forward and said, "Why don't you think about this for a second, Sasuke. You're out-numbered and three of the guests here can spin this so it's entirely your fault."

"Explain yourself, Bitch," Sasuke ordered.

Shizune shrugged off Sasuke's insult, placing a hand on Naruto's chest to stop him from attacking the boy. "It's simple, Sasuke, among the many guests here tonight are an officer of the National Police Agency," she said, pointing to Anko. "An accomplished Surgeon and General Practitioner," this time she pointed to herself. "And a well-respected educator," she finished, pointing to Iruka.

"All three of us are pillars of the community, honest and trustworthy people, and let's not forget the CEO and Paralegal among the guests," Shizune continued to point out. "If we say that you started it, who do you think the police will believe? Us? Or a little delinquent like yourself?"

"You forget woman, that I'm an Uchiha. One mention of my father and the police will believe anything that I say. Face it, you've lost Bitch" Sasuke shouted at her.

Before Shizune could say anything to the contrary, another voice rang out. The guests turned to see Izumi walking forward. "You forget Sasuke, that you are not the only Uchiha in this room. The police will be more inclined to believe ex-Commissioner Fugaku's beloved daughter over his mis-guided son," she said evenly.

Several gasps were heard throughout the room. The same thought went through almost everyone's mind, _She's an Uchiha? Sasuke's sister?_ Naruto continued to glare at Sasuke for another moment, before he heard Gaara speaking to Iruka off to the side. "Iruka, would you please escort the ladies upstairs?" he asked. "They shouldn't see this."

Iruka nodded and led the ladies gathered, minus Anko, up the back staircase of the restaurant. As they left, Izumi and Shizune stopped next to Naruto for a moment. "Don't worry," he said to Izumi. "I won't let them hurt him, not too badly anyway." Reassured, Izumi nodded and followed Ino to the stairs. As he watched her, he heard his sister ask, "Are the two that attacked you here?" Naruto nodded to her and jerked a thumb at a pair of pale twins wearing purple lipstick. Shizune's eyes hardened and she looked to her girlfriend who was still at the table. Anko gave an imperceptible nod and motioned for Shizune to head upstairs. With that, Gaara made his way to the center of the room placed himself between Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked and laughed at Gaara. "You think you can take me? You're as big a loser as the dobe," he laughed. To his credit, Gaara never revealed any emotion to the raven haired interloper. As Sasuke continued to laugh, the other members of his group began throwing out taunts of their own.

"This trash doesn't stand a chance against us," a large man said superiorly.

"You've got that right, Jiroubou, they're just trash compared to us," said one of the twins.

"Heh, you tell 'em, Sakon," said a tan man with dark hair.

"I'm Ukon you bastard. Get it right next time, Kidoumaru," shouted the first twin, Ukon.

"That's enough," ordered Sakon. "Let's just deal with this trash, and then kill the blonde."

Several of the guys on Naruto's side stiffened slightly. They shook it off quickly and got ready for the ultimate confrontation. As Sasuke's thugs spread out, Naruto's friends split off into groups. Shikamaru and Chouji, Shino and Neji, Kiba and Kankuro, and Lee made his way over to join Gaara. The thirteen men stared each other down, wondering who would make the first move. Naruto shifted to get a better look and accidentally nudged the table behind him. The resulting clatter was enough to break the tension and three fights started at once.

* * *

><p>Despite his bulk, Jiroubou was incredibly fast. In a matter of seconds, he had crossed the open expanse of the restaurant and came to a stop in front of Shikamaru. Jiroubou cocked his fist back and prepared slam the smaller man into the floor. As his fist came forward, he was shocked to find it was halted by Chouji. The normal peaceful and pleasant face of Chouji was twisted into a mask of anger and disgust. "You would dare break in to my family's restaurant and threaten my friends? You've got a lot to learn," he shouted. Using his free hand to grip the slightly larger man's wrist, Chouji rotated and flipped the man over his shoulder.<p>

Jiroubou impacted the floor harshly, the wind knocked completely out of him. Chouji took advantage of Jiroubou's weakness and proceeded to drive his fist into the man's stomach repeatedly. After the third hit, however, the tables turned. Jiroubou caught Chouji's fist as it came down and he drove his foot into Chouji's chest. Chouji crashed backwards, slumping down against the wall. Jiroubou rose from the floor and walked over to the barely conscious Chouji. "I must admit, you're tougher than I thought, but you're still just a fat loser," Jiroubou spat.

Chouji's eyes brightened and he used the last bit of his strength to land a kick into Jiroubou's knee. The larger man dropped to floor in excruciating pain. As Chouji began to lose consciousness, he saw Shikamaru slip up behind Jiroubou. Shikamaru nodded his thanks to his friend, and Chouji smiled. He knew that Shikamaru had it all under control.

Unfortunately for Jiroubou, he could not see Shikamaru from his position. He could see Chouji smile, however. _What's got you so pleased, trash?_ he wondered. Before he could make a move towards the unconscious Chouji, he felt an arm slip around his throat. Shikamaru placed the crook of his elbow against Jiroubou's windpipe and brought his hand around to grab his own bicep. Taking his free left hand, he placed it against the back of Jiroubou's head and pushed forward. The pressure was not enough to choke the man, but it was enough to knock him out. A moment later, Jiroubou slipped into unconsciousness, all the while wondering how he could have forgotten his second opponent.

* * *

><p>Neji and Shino stared down the dark haired man known as Kidoumaru. "Heh, I'll finish you trash off and then I'll take care of the blonde," he said.<p>

Neji shook his head raised a hand to point at his opponent. "No, you are fated to lose this match," was all Neji said.

"For once, I agree with you, Neji. He is fated to lose this fight," Shino commented. As he finished speaking, he took a slow, deliberate step to the left, away from Neji. He kept his sunglass covered gaze locked with his opponent. Kidoumaru turned slowly to follow Shino's movement, trying to keep an eye on Neji at the same time. "Do you know why you are going to lose?" Shino asked suddenly.

Kidoumaru froze for a second, before continuing to rotate along with Shino's steps. "Why am I going to lose, trash?" Kidoumaru shot back. Shino slowed his steps gradually before responding. "Simple, you have no reason to fight," he said levelly. He took another step and stopped. Keeping his gaze fixed on Kidoumaru, he spoke again. "All of us have a reason to fight, to protect our friend, to keep him out of this fight. Many of the women here would be upset if something happened to him. You however, have no reason to fight. You are only here for the sake of the fight, because you had nothing better to do. You fight simply because an immature young man asked you too. There is no pressing need for victory, that is why you will lose."

Shino could see that his opponent was getting angrier by the minute, and knew that now was the moment to strike. Lunging forward, Shino threw his left fist out, and hooked it just passed Kidoumaru's nose. Seeing the slow moving punch coming, Kidoumaru twisted effortlessly out of the way. Unfortunately, his movement put him right in the path of Neji's palm strike. Kidoumaru's eyes widened as the Hyuuga's strike connected with his solar plexus, lifting him off the ground and sending him crashing into a support pillar. His head impacted the harshly with the cement pillar, knocking him out instantaneously.

* * *

><p>The twins shared a glance before Sakon glared at Kiba and asked, "So, you ready to get your ass handed to you, trash?"<p>

Kiba just gave him a little smirk and said, "One sec, I gotta make a quick call."

Kankuro stared at his friend out of the corner of his eye. _What the hell is he doing?_, he thought. Sakon and Ukon continued to stare, confused, at Kiba as he proceeded to pull a small whistle out of his vest pocket. Placing it to his lips, he blew into it sharply. Nothing happened. Sakon and Ukon's looks of confusion turned to looks of anger, thinking Kiba was screwing with them, Kankuro knew better. He slid a half-step to his right and waited. There was a crash, followed by the sound of what seemed to be several people coming down the stairs. The twins were shocked to see that the cause of the sound was a large white dog. Scratching the dog behind the ears, Kiba asked, "So, you ready to go, Akamaru?"

Akamaru just barked. Kiba smirked and turned his attention back towards Sakon and Ukon. "Well, I don't know about you, Kankuro, but I'm ready for a good fight," he said, grinning ferally. Kankuro snorted dismissively. "I'm ready when you are, it's time to take out the trash anyway."

With that, three met two, and the brawl started. Kiba sent a right hook flying at Sakon's head, dodging a kick in the process. The hook sailed passed him effortlessly, but Sakon was kept at bay by Akamaru. The large hound lashed out and attempted to get his jaws around Sakon's arm. Sakon jumped backwards and changed places with Ukon, who had just missed planting a roundhouse into Kankuro's side. Sakon dropped to the floor and tried to sweep Kankuro's leg, only to have him jump over it. Rolling back, Sakon narrowly avoided Kankuro's drop kick, but it wasn't enough. His roll led him straight into Akamaru, who sunk his canines into the collar of Sakon's shirt. Shaking him around violently, Sakon was momentarily stunned by the dog's onslaught. As he regained focus, he found his brother the victim of a heel kick from Kiba, as well as a right hook from Kankuro.

Throwing his elbow back, Sakon caught Akamaru on the nose and managed to extricate himself from the dog's grip. Charging forward, he takled Kankuro from behind, slamming the older man into the floor roughly. Kiba turned quickly and planted his right foot in Sakon's stomach, lifting him off of Kankuro. Sakon dropped heavily to the floor, coughing up a little blood in the process. As he tried to roll over, he felt a large weight settle on his back. Akamaru had lowered himself onto the prone man's back, pinning him to the floor.

Ukon struggled to rise after the heel kick. Looking over at his brother, he saw Kiba deliver the sharp blow to his brother's stomach. Furious, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. Flicking the blade out, he managed to pull himself into a seated position, when he heard a strange click coming from behind him. Turning slowly, he found himself staring down the barrel of a 9mm, cocked and pointed right between his eyes. He flicked his gaze upwards to the gun's owner. Anko just smiled dangerously down at the younger man. "Go ahead, try it," was all she said. Ukon dropped the knife and turned back to the fight just in time to see Kankuro's foot flying towards his face.

The blow connected easily and Ukon slumped to the floor. Kankuro made a dismissive sound at his opponent, before throwing a look of gratitude towards Anko. The violet haired woman just continued to smile dangerously as she holstered her weapon and took another sip from her sake dish. Kiba watched nervously as the woman continued to drink, _Man I'm glad she's on our side_, he thought. Scratching Akamaru behind the ear, he surveyed the room. Chouji was down, but so was his opponent, Jiroubou. Shikamaru was tense, watching Sasuke carefully, calculating all of their options. Shino and Neji were still, waiting for Sasuke to move, their opponent unconscious against the wall. He turned his attention to Gaara, Lee, and Sasuke, and waited.

* * *

><p>As he tried to get a better view of what was about to happen, Naruto felt himself brush up against the table. His action caused the table to shake just enough to knock a glass over. As the glass fell, he saw his friends all move at once. In the span of less than five minutes, Sasuke's thugs were unconscious and all that remained was his girlfriend's bastard brother. He watched silently as Lee and Gaara stepped forward to confront Sasuke.<p>

"I will give you one chance Uchiha. Leave now, and no harm will come to you," Gaara said.

Sasuke snorted. "You think just because they beat those worthless pieces of trash, that you can beat me? I'm Uchiha Sasuke, I'm better than all of you," the arrogant Uchiha shouted back at Gaara.

"You're better than me? Then why is it that you are failing out of college, while I am engaged and running one of the country's most successful corporations? It seems to me that you are the trash here, Uchiha, not the ones who fought for you," Gaara replied coldly.

"It was most un-youthful, Sasuke, to hide behind others instead of fighting for yourself," Lee chided.

"Shut it loser, the only reason you've gotten anything is because people feel sorry for you," Sasuke spat.

Lee's eyes hardened as he took another step towards Sasuke. "I will give you one chance to apologize. I got to where I am through hard-work," Lee said dangerously.

"Bring it on loser," Sasuke responded, as he spat on Lee's shoes.

Lee's fist clenched and Naruto could see the muscles coiling beneath his orange jumpsuit. Before Lee could make a move towards Sasuke, however, Gaara's voice cut through the air. "That's enough Lee, control your temper."

Lee backed down and unclenched his fist. Sasuke snorted derisively. "You're weak, letting others tell you what to-" but that was all he could say. Before he had finished, Gaara had launched himself forward sharply backhanded the arrogant Uchiha. Reeling back from the strike, Sasuke was unable to counter the attack from Lee that followed. The martial artist quickly darted around Sasuke and dealt a crushing blow to ribcage. Feeling the air being forced out of his lungs, Sasuke doubled over in pain. This left the perfect opening for Lee to strike again. Rolling quickly across the floor to his target, Lee delivered a powerful mule kick to Sasuke's jaw, lifting him off of the ground. As the Uchiha began to drop back to the floor, Lee positioned himself to deliver the final blow, an axe kick that would most certainly severely injure the Uchiha. As Lee's foot dropped, he met a stiff resistance well before he should have.

Lee took his gaze off of the prone Sasuke and looked to see what had blocked his final strike. Standing in front of him, arms raised to hold back the attack, was Naruto. Lee looked at Naruto in shock, but did nothing to move his leg away. Naruto grunted in pain as he continued to hold Lee's kick back. The initial blow had severely jarred his arms, and the blonde thought he might even have a hairline fracture. As he shifted to a slightly more comfortable position, he heard Kiba shouting at him. "What the hell man? Why are you standing up for that teme?"

"Because, Kiba," Naruto replied through clenched teeth. "I don't think my girlfriend would like it if I let you guys try to kill her brother. I may not like Sasuke, but I do like Izumi, and I promised her that I wouldn't hurt him. So I'm gonna make sure he doesn't get hurt. Now, Lee, will you back down?"

Nodding, Lee retracted his leg and lowered it, and the martial artist quickly moved away and headed towards the front door. As he reached it, he could here a commotion outside. Motioning for Shikamaru to come over, Lee opened the door. Naruto could see slightly outside the door from where Gaara had seated him after Lee backed down, and it was obvious that the girl from before had come back. Naruto watched silently as Shikamaru and Lee returned followed by the girl Tayuya and half a dozen police officers.

As the officers entered the dining room, Anko rose to greet them. "Sergeant Namiashi, Lieutenant Shiranui, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Officer Hokumon was off-duty when she heard a commotion coming from this restaurant, she immediately called us. Is everything alright here, Sergeant Mitarashi?" Lieutenant Shiranui replied quizzically.

"Yeah, it is now. These punks decided to crash a private party and wreak some havoc. They're down for the count, but they took out one of the guests when they got here," she replied dismissively.

"What are you doing here though, Anko?" asked Sergeant Namiashi

"Hmm? Oh, I was invited," she said.

"How did you get invited though? Everyone of these guys seems to be a lot younger than you? You're not stripping are you?" Lieutenant Shiranui asked sternly.

"No, of course not, perv. I'm banging the birthday boy's sister," she said flatly.

"Dammit woman, stop talking about my sister like that," Naruto shouted.

The two police officers looked past Anko and noticed Naruto for the first time. Sergeant Namiashi nudged the Lieutenant and said, "Hey, Genma, doesn't that kid look familiar?"

"Yeah, Raido. You know what it is, he's the spitting image of Minato," Genma replied.

"You guys knew my father?" Naruto asked surprisedly.

"Yeah, we went to college with him back in the day," Genma said. "He had this natural charisma that just drew everyone to him. He was a good man, we were all sad when we heard he had passed."

"Yeah, I heard from my grandfather that he was like that, maybe we can get together some time and you can tell me more about him," Naruto replied.

"Sure thing kid. Ah, here comes the EMT's," Genma said, stepping aside for the paramedics to enter.

As the paramedics entered, the girls started making their way downstairs. At the sound of the girls footsteps, the officers turned and spotted Shizune and Izumi leading the way. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shizune quickly made her way over to the paramedics to instruct them on who to take care of first. While Shizune handled the medical personnel, Izumi went over to the Lieutenant and Sergeant. "Hello Lieutenant Shiranui, Sergeant Namiashi, how are you?"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Izumi. We're doing good, how's your brother?" Genma asked.

"He seems to be on the floor over there," she said sourly. "He was one of the party crashers."

"What the hell was he thinking?" Raido asked to no one in particular.

"I do not know myself," Izumi replied. "I would appreciate it, however, if you could keep him in the tank until I come for him tomorrow."

"No problem Izumi, a night in the tank might mellow him out a little, and I'm sure the Chief would love to have a little 'chat' with Sasuke," Genma assured her.

"Thank you Lieutenant. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check on my...boyfriend," she told them. With that, she bowed and walked over to where Naruto was seated. The two officers shared a brief look before grabbing the two less injured party crashers, Sasuke and Sakon. Naruto watched silently as the pair were handcuffed and led out of the restaurant. He leaned back in his chair and massaged his pained right forearm, only to flinch sharply. Shizune, who had finished up with the paramedics, came over to check him out.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"Lee's kick was pretty rough, I think he broke something," Naruto replied.

Taking her brother's arm in her hands, she extended it and examined the damage from Lee's attack. "So, why did you get in front of Lee's attack?" Shizune asked.

"He was gonna nail Sasuke with it, and as much as I hate him, I promised Izumi I wouldn't hurt him, so I can't let my friends hurt him like that either," the blonde replied.

"Thank you, Naruto, that means a lot to me," Izumi said, placing a dainty hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. Naruto turned to smiled up at her, but quickly grimaced when he felt Shizune poking his injured arm. "Dammit Sis, don't poke it," he shouted.

"Dr. Kato, good to see you," Genma said calmly as he came over to them.

"Ah, Lieutenant Shiranui, how's the leg?" Shizune asked back.

"Doing well, is this the brother you're always bragging about?" Genma asked, pointing at Naruto.

"Yes, this is my little brother," Shizune replied, hugging Naruto playfully. "So, do you need something, Genma?"

"No, we're just about finished, I just wanted to let Izumi that she can pick her brother up any time after noon tomorrow," Genma told the trio.

"Thank you Lieutenant, I appreciate that," Izumi replied.

"My pleasure Izumi. Naruto, nice to meet you, Izumi has my number, so give me a call and we'll get together," Genma said, turning away.

The trio watched as the police and paramedics cleared out and all that remained were the original guests. "Well," Sakura began quietly. "That was interesting."

"Troublesome, you can say that again," Shikamaru sighed.

"Well, I think we should call it a night people, it was a great party, but we all need some rest now," Ino said.

"Yeah, Ino's right guys. This was a great party, and thanks for everything, but I gotta get some rest now," Naruto chimed in. Rising, Naruto shook hands with all the guys and hugged all the girls, keeping his pain masked the whole time. After the good-byes, Kiba came over and assured Naruto that he would drop off his gifts tomorrow with his truck. Thanking Kiba for his offer, Naruto left the restaurant with Izumi, Shizune, and Anko.

"So Ladies, what's the plan now," the blonde asked.

"We're taking you to see Mom," his sister said in a no nonsense tone.

Naruto paled slightly and backed away from Shizune. "Heh...How are you going to get me there?" he asked, still edging away.

Shizune just smiled softly. Suddenly, Naruto felt a hand land heavily on his shoulder. The color completely drained from the blonde's face as he turned slowly to see a brightly smiling Anko standing next to him. "We'll take my car," she said, dangerous smile never slipping.

"Oh, I'm going to regret this," the blonde sighed as Anko and his sister led him through the parking lot. Izumi followed the boisterous trio, laughing quietly as they walked along. When they reached Anko's car, Naruto struggled vainly to get away, but it was no use. The final stroke was when Izumi came up to him and pouted. "Please Naruto, go to the hospital," she pleaded sweetly.

That was enough. Naruto yielded to his sister and allowed himself to be seated in the car. Izumi sat down next to him and laid his head in her lap. As Anko and Shizune got in the front seats, Izumi stroked her boyfriend's hair softly. It wasn't long before they reached the hospital and the trio of women dragged Naruto out of the car. As they dragged him into the hospital, they knew it was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke the next morning the shrill beep of his alarm clock. Reaching over, he roughly slammed his arm cast down on the source of the offending sound, breaking it. Groaning, the blonde crawled out of bed and let out a big yawn. Stretching, he made his way to the bathroom for a shower. Stopping in front of the bathroom mirror, Naruto looked at the bags under his eyes and quietly asked himself, "Why did I turn that damn alarm on? I didn't get in until, like, 2 last night."<p>

Twenty minutes and one awkward moment with a plastic bag later, Naruto was out of the shower and struggling to get dressed. Due to the cast protecting the hairline fracture to his forearm, the blonde could not seem to get his button down shirt on. Growling angrily in his frustration, Naruto cast the shirt aside and grabbed an orange long sleeve shirt from his closet and pulled it over his head. Muttering darkly, he stalked out of his room and into the kitchen, hoping to find something for breakfast.

He was surprised to find his mother sitting at the kitchen table, drinking her morning coffee and reading the newspaper. Seeing that she had no signs of a hangover, Naruto made his way over to the refrigerator, calling out a subdued "Good Morning" to Tsunade. Looking up from her paper, Tsunade glanced at her son's arm for a moment before speaking. "Shizune made you breakfast already, it's over by the stove," she said, returning to her paper.

Closing the refrigerator, Naruto looked over to the stove and saw the plate of pancakes waiting for him. Grabbing them, he noticed that they were still warm. Smiling softly, he sat down across from his mother and dug in. Tsunade's eyes flicked up from the paper to watch as her son gorged himself on the pancakes her daughter made. Sighing at the boy's atrocious manners, Tsunade looked back to her paper and asked, "So, any plans for today?"

"Not really," the blonde boy replied. "Kiba's dropping by in the evening with my gifts from the party, and I've got to go see Ino after breakfast, but nothing else, why?"

Folding the paper, Tsunade looked carefully at Naruto before asking, "Why do you have to go see Ino? Won't your new 'girlfriend' get jealous?"

"No, it's not like that. Ino said she's got my gift at her place, that she couldn't bring it with her to the party, something like it was too big or something. And besides Mom, Ino's just a friend," Naruto explained.

"Alright then. Anyway, I only asked because I've got the day off, and it's been a while since we've spent any real quality time together."

"That sounds like a great idea Mom. When I get back from Ino's we should go out and do something nice."

"Yeah, sounds good," Tsunade replied. "Oh, one more thing, I wanted to ask you something about Shizune's cop friend from last night."

"Sure Mom, what about her?"

"Is she a good person? I'm worried that she might be a bad influence on Shizune."

"Mom, Shizune's 35 years old, she's old enough to make her own decisions. But you don't have to worry, Anko's a good person, and I think we'll be seeing more of her," Naruto replied.

"Okay then, you head on out to see Ino then, I'll be here when you get back," Tsunade told her adoptive son.

Naruto nodded and placed his empty plate in the sink. Giving his mother a hug, the blonde boy padded quietly over to the apartment door and opened it. As the door swung open, Naruto found himself face to face with a red head girl about to knock. Studying her face for a moment, Naruto realized that he recognized her. "Hey, you're the girl that was with the teme last night, Tayuya, right?"

"Yeah, blondie, I was there. What about it?" Tayuya growled.

"Nothing, I was just wondering why you're here?"

"Well..." she began, shuffling her feet. "I just came by because I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?" Naruto asked, closing the apartment door.

"Yeah, I wanted to say sorry for the part I played in the incident last night. I've been friends with those fuckers for years, I just kinda end up going along with the crowd sometimes."

"There's no need to apologize, you didn't do anything to me or my friends, so thanks."

"Heh, thanks kid. Anko was right about you," Tayuya said, turning away.

"What did she say?"

"That you're a forgiving guy, and it might be good for me to make friends with you."

"Well, that's me. Even after all these years and everything he's done to me, I still can't totally hate Sasuke," Naruto replied.

"Wow, Anko really was right. Well, I hope that you and I can be friends, and if you ever need any help with the law, give me a call," Tayuya told him, extending her hand.

Shaking the proffered hand, Naruto smiled brightly and said, "Careful, I may just take you up on that."

"I'd be fucking pissed if you didn't," she said with a smile of her own.

"Well then, I suspect you'll be hearing from me next time there's trouble."

"Good, I'll see you around Blondie," Tayuya said, walking away.

"Same to you Red," Naruto replied playfully.

The blonde watched as his new found friend sauntered back to her car. As she pulled away, Naruto checked the time on his phone and swore. "Dammit, I need to see Ino."

Taking off at a run, Naruto quickly made his way over to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, which also served as the family's home. Making sure he was still presentable, Naruto calmly knocked on the door. A moment later the door swung inward to reveal Yamanaka Inoichi, Ino's father. "Oh, hello Naruto, you're here to see Ino, huh?"

"Yes sir, is she here?" Naruto asked calmly.

"Yeah, she should be upstairs, but I thought she wasn't dating anymore?"

"She's not," Naruto replied. "But she told me to come by today to pick up my birthday gift."

"Ah, I see," Inoichi said. He gave Naruto a sly smile and asked, "So, why didn't you ever make a move on my daughter?"

"Well, it's simple sir. Ino's never seen me that way, I'm her best friend after all."

Inoichi nodded. "Well, if it doesn't work out with your current girlfriend, you have my blessing to date Ino."

"Um...thanks, I think," Naruto said. "I think I'll just head up to see Ino now. Where's her room?"

"Last door down on your left. Nice to see you, Naruto," Inoichi said, turning away and returning to the kitchen.

With that, Naruto made his way up the stairs to Ino's bedroom. The blonde male gripped the door handle and pushed the door open. To say Naruto was not surprised would be entirely untrue. The walls, bedspread and even the carpet were all orange. He wandered slowly around the room, taking in the "beautiful" color around him. As he was standing in front of the orange writing desk, Naruto heard footsteps coming from behind him. Turning around, Naruto blushed violently as he saw Ino enter the room. The blonde woman was dressed in nothing more than a bright orange bath towel. The pair of blondes blushed violently and spun around so they were back to back. "W-what th-he hell are y-you doing h-here?" Ino stammered.

"I'm here to pick up my birthday present, like you told me to," he replied.

"I know that," she snapped. "I meant what are you doing in my room?"

"Well, your dad said it was okay," Naruto said sheepishly.

"Seriously? He knew I was in the shower, idiot," the blonde woman mumbled.

"Um...I can come back later...if you want."

"No, it's okay. Just give me a minute to put some clothes on, you can wait right there," Ino told him.

"Sure, okay then," Naruto said with a blush. The blonde male focused his eyes on the wall and waited. He could the sounds of drawers opening and a towel dropping to the floor. He tensed up and kept his eyes locked on the wall, reminding himself that he shouldn't look. Five minutes later, Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around slowly, Naruto saw that Ino was dressed in worn pair of orange bike shorts and a loose fitting tank-top. "So, you ready to see your gift?" Ino asked with a smile.

"S-sure, let's go," Naruto replied. Ino nodded and led Naruto out of her room and down towards the basement. As the pair walked, Naruto spoke up again. "You know, I can see why you never wanted me to come up to your room before."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you always made fun of my love of orange, but you're just as big a fan of it as I am," Naruto said with a laugh.

"Oh...right," Ino agreed unconvincingly.

When the pair reached the basement, Ino threw open the door and ushered Naruto inside. The blonde male entered the dark room and waited for Ino to turn on the lights. As they flickered on, Naruto caught sight of a white sheet with an orange bow on it in the corner of the room. Looking to Ino for confirmation, she nodded to it and smiled. Smiling himself, Naruto made his way over and pulled the off and gasped in surprise. Beneath the sheet was a beautiful double-sided H-frame easel. Made of strong red oak, the easel was fitted with a set of wheels to help with movement. Naruto turned to Ino with a look of shock on his face. "Ino, this is beautiful, but how did you afford this?"

"It wasn't that hard, especially since I own part of the store now," Ino replied.

Naruto smiled happily at his friend. "Thank you Ino, I love it. I can see why you couldn't bring it with you last night."

"Yeah, this would have been a real bitch to drag to the restaurant. So, how are you going to get it home?"

"I don't know, how did you get it down here?"

"It was in pieces, I had to assemble it. So, what are we going to do?"

"Hmm...let me call Kiba. He's dropping the rest of my stuff off at the apartment, maybe once he's done he can swing by with his truck. If he agrees, I can call Shikamaru and Chouji, and with your dad and Kiba, the five of us should be able to get it out of here," Naruto told Ino.

"Sounds good, you call Kiba, I'll call Shika and Chou," Ino said.

After the calls were placed, Ino called her father down into the basement. As Inoichi made his way down the stairs, Naruto could here him ask his daughter, "So, what do you need me for, Princess?"

"This over here," Ino said.

Inoichi entered the basement and glanced over where Ino was pointing. "Wow, now that is a nice easel. So, I guess that's what you've been tinkering with down here for the past few weeks, huh?"

"Yeah, isn't it nice?"

"Well, I think it looks good, but what about you Naruto?" Inoichi asked the younger blonde male.

"Well, a double-sided H-frame, holds two 106'' canvases at once, and it'll hold up to 200lbs. What's not to love? I've had so many projects I wanted to do but I didn't have the equipment for, now I do," Naruto said with a bright smile.

"That's great then, but how are we going to get it out of here?" the Yamanaka patriarch asked.

"Shika and Chou should be here in a few minutes and Kiba is coming by with his truck," Ino told her father.

"Okay, I know how you got Shikamaru and Chouji to do this, but how did you get Kiba?" Inoichi asked the pair.

"He was already dropping off my gifts from the party last night. I couldn't take them home since I had to go to the hospital," Naruto explained, showing Inoichi his cast.

"That must have hurt," the older man remarked.

"This was nothing compared to the ride to the hospital. You try getting comfortable in the back of a cop car," Naruto snorted.

"Why were you in the back of a cop car?"

"Shizune's dating a cop," Naruto told Ino's father.

"Oh, is he a good guy?" Inoichi asked.

"No," Naruto said flatly. Giving Inoichi a little smirk and said, "But she's a nice lady."

Inoichi's eyes widened. "Well, that must be interesting."

"Well, it will be once Shizune tells Mom," the younger blonde said with a smirk.

The trio of blondes laughed. The two males shifted the easel towards the stairs and waited for the rest of the men to arrive.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, first off, I'm sooooooo sorry. I know you must all hate me right now. But you'll be happy to know that everything that was slowing me down is out of the way. I can't guarantee that the next chapter will be out soon, but hopefully in 2 weeks or so. So, please tell me what you think and remember, flames are welcome.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11 Dreams and a Shock

Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own Naruto.

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><p>A few hours later, Naruto had finished setting up his new easel and the two canvases that he'd been unable to work on because of their size. Changing into his work clothes, he grabbed his paints, and then the blonde set to work on a new piece. Pausing only to turn on his stereo system, Naruto lost himself in his work. As his brush moved fluidly, the beginnings of a portrait began to take shape.<p>

Hours later, Naruto let his brushes drop and stepped back to survey the work in front of him. Displayed on the canvas before him was an image of a gaunt young man with bright red hair. Shown from the chest up, he was wearing what seemed to be a heavy cloak emblazoned with red clouds. The background of the portrait was dark and dreary, but even more so was the expression on the young man's face. There was no trace of happiness or joy anywhere in the man's expression.

"It's a beautiful piece," came a soft voice from behind Naruto.

The blonde turned to face the doorway of his room to see Izumi smiling softly at him. Naruto, who's expression had slowly shifted to match that of the young man in the painting. Izumi quickly crossed the bedroom and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's shoulders as he returned his attention to his completed work. Leaning in close, she spoke softly into Naruto's ear, "Can I ask what inspired you? I've never seen you do something this dark before."

"My cousin," Naruto said heavily, bowing his head. Izumi frowned slightly at Naruto's behavior. Releasing him, she pulled up another stool and sat down. Placing a delicate hand on the blonde's leg, she asked, "Did something happen to your cousin?"

Naruto sighed. Gently placing a hand over Izumi's, Naruto began his story. "When my cousin, Nagato, was a kid he was always kind of a loner. Really quiet, and only had two friends, Yahiko and Konan. Yahiko and Konan grew up in the neighborhood orphanage, but they were always welcome at my Aunt and Uncle's house. The three of them became inseparable, and it seemed like everything was going great. Then everything changed."

"What happened?" Izumi asked softly.

"Nagato's parents were murdered." Izumi gasped.

"Yeah, no one saw it coming. It happened the year after I was born. Nagato's parents were petitioning for their neighborhood to become its own town, but the mayor at the time, Shimura Danzo didn't like that. Nagato came home from school one day to find his parents bodies lying cold on the floor. After that, Nagato went to live at the orphanage with his friends. Life didn't get any easier, and a little more than a decade ago it got worse.

"Yahiko knew about Nagato's parent's work and decided to continue it. Yahiko was a good guy, but he wasn't really cut out for the peaceful discussions required to get it done. So the movement grew darker...and violent. Things came to a breaking point when Yahiko's group started rioting outside of the Mayor's office. The protestors were met by the police and pushed back, but something went wrong."

Naruto paused. Rising from his seat went to stand out the window. Rain had started to fall at some point, and Izumi could see a look of sheer pain on her boyfriend's face. He spoke again at a whisper, and she had to strain to hear it. "The Police Commissioner at the time, a man named Sanshouo Hanzo, used the confusion of the riot to shoot Yahiko. Luckily, he was caught immediately by the police officers and confessed to killing Nagato's parents as well. He gave up Danzo as the mastermind behind the murder's and that was it. It was over."

Naruto felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and he smiled softly. "It wasn't all bad," he said finally. "Nagato and Konan realized how much they cared for each other. They got married a few months later, and they even named their son Yahiko. He got a happy ending in the end, but even that was short. Nagato got sick a few years later, there was nothing anyone could do for him."

"Naruto," Izumi said softly. "It must hurt, to think of what he went through."

"Yeah, it does a little, but it's okay. He may be gone, but the people who loved him are still here. I actually heard from Konan today, she wished me a happy birthday and told me to come by if I ever wanted art advice. It was nice to hear from her...and little Yahiko too."

"I'm glad to hear it," Izumi replied with a bright smile. Naruto smiled back and leaned in closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Now then," Izumi said suddenly, clapping her hands together. "You've got to get out of those painting clothes and get ready. You're spending the day with your Mother, and she invited me along. Now hop to it."

Favoring her with a mock salute, Naruto responded. "Yes Ma'am. I'll be ready in just a few minutes," he said with a smile.

Izumi smiled and slipped out of the room, taking a moment to glance at the painting one last time. _It's a beautiful piece_, she thought. _And it means so much to him. I wonder if I can get him to do more pieces like it, it might help him open up more_.

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><p>A short while later, Naruto exited the shower. As he started to get dressed he could hear Tsunade and Izumi conversing just down the hall. "So, you could have helped my boy 'clean up', why not jump at the chance?" Tsunade asked in a joking tone.<p>

"How do you know I haven't already 'jumped at it'?" Izumi replied with a slight laugh. When her laughter died, she spoke again. "I really hope I'm not imposing on your day out with Naruto."

"Nonsense, this just means it'll be even more fun to embarrass him," Tsunade chuckled. "Plus, I get to interrogate you now."

Izumi shuddered slightly as Tsunade laughed. Deciding that his girlfriend had been tortured enough, Naruto stepped out into the hall and called out, "Don't worry Izumi, Mom's bark is a lot fiercer than her bite."

Naruto walked up to Izumi and put a hand gently on her shoulder and smiled. Leaning in close he whispered, "Though her bite is still pretty bad."

"Alright, enough of this joking around, it's time for lunch, come on brat, get your girlfriend and let's go," Tsunade declared.

Sighing, Naruto motioned towards the door and led the way out of the apartment. Locking the door behind themselves, the trio headed out for lunch.

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><p>As they approached the restaurant, Naruto's phone began to ring. Stopping outside the door to the restaurant, Naruto motioned for the two ladies to head in without him. They nodded and left Naruto to his phone call. Answering the call, Naruto held the phone up to his ear and said, "Hello."<p>

"Naruto, it's Shizune. I need a favor," came the excited voice of his sister.

"Sure thing Sis, what do you need?"

"Can you keep Mom busy for a few hours?"

"She's already occupied, Izumi and I are having lunch with her. If you don't mind me asking, why do you need her occupied?"

"I just got out of a marathon surgery and the hospital gave me the rest of the day off."

"Wow, that must be rough. The guy pulled through though, right?"

"Yeah, he's going to be fine."

"That's good, but that doesn't explain why you need Mom kept busy."

"The man who I performed the surgery on is Anko's partner. She got the rest of the day off as well."

"Okay," Naruto said. "I can see where this is going. Don't worry, I'll keep Mom away so you can enjoy some hanky-panky with your girlfriend."

"Thanks little brother. You know, for someone who complains about Anko's blunt talk about our sex life, you're just as bad."

"Of course I am, it's my job as your brother. Have a nice time, I'll see you at home later."

After saying goodbye, Naruto hung up his phone and went inside. Spotting his mother across the restaurant, Naruto made his way over and took a seat. Picking up his menu, he began looking it over. A minute later, Tsunade asked him, "So, who was that on the phone?"

Casting a quick glance at Izumi, Naruto turned his attention to Tsunade and lied through his teeth. "It was Konan actually," he said.

Tsunade, skeptical of Naruto's claim, questioned him further. "So what did she want?"

"Nothing much really. She wanted to know how I was doing, how you and Shizune were doing. The usual stuff. Oh, she also wanted to know if I'd done any painting recently."

"Really? And what did you say?" Tsunade asked, drumming her fingers on the tabletop.

"That we were all doing good. That I'd finally gotten a girlfriend and that I'd introduce her soon, and that you'd been cutting back recently. All in all, everyone is in good health. I also told her that I did do a painting just this morning, and that I'd show her as soon as I was sure it was really done."

"That's great Naruto," belief seeping into her tone. "When are you going to see her then?"

"Not sure yet, I have to make sure the piece is really done."

"Alright then. Well I guess I'll wait till you're done then," she said with a smile. Turning to Izumi, the older woman asked, "So, what about you Izumi? What can you tell me about your family? I already know your brother's a jerk, but what about your parents?"

Izumi, who had just taken a sip from her glass of water, swallowed heavily and replaced the glass on the table. "My parents were good people. My father was always stern, but Mother was always so kind and gentle. It was hard after their accident, but I was able to go on."

Tsunade's smile slipped as she gently grasped Izumi's trembling hand. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

Izumi gave a small sniffle, and smiled softly at her boyfriend's mother. "It's alright."

Tsunade matched the younger woman's smile, and patted the back of her hand. "Well, how about you tell me about your schooling? Can't open any old wounds with that," Tsunade said with a hoarse laugh.

"Alright then. I started with a business management degree because it was what my father wanted me to do. When I was old enough to start working I got a part-time job at a small restaurant waiting tables so I could start saving. When I finally graduated High school, I found out that my parents left Sasuke and I a sizable trust fund. I used that and my savings to pay for my bachelor's degree," Izumi explained.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed. It takes a lot to do that nowadays, my brat here doesn't impress me anymore," Tsunade scoffed, gesturing towards Naruto. "So, if you've got a bachelor's in business management, why are you going to art school?"

"It was always my dream as a child to be a painter some day. After I graduated I realized that the business world wasn't the right place for me, so I went back to school," Izumi said proudly.

"That's nice. So what are your plans for after college?" Tsunade asked.

"I hope to open my own gallery after I finish. There are many artists in the area that are undervalued and I wish to help them achieve the recognition they deserve," Izumi told them, ecstatic about sharing her dream with Naruto. "I already have a few artists in mind to showcase."

His curiosity peaked by this statement, Naruto could only ask, "Who?"

Izumi smiled brightly at this question. "Well, Katsu Deidara for starters, his clay work is so lifelike and astounding, not to mention his pyrotechnics. Akasuna Sasori is another, his puppets are so beautiful, they're almost ethereal. The exquisite craftsmanship is something that sets them apart. Also, if your cousin is as talented as you claim, I'd love to have Konan contribute. I'd also love to ask Tsuchi Kin from the music department to play every once in a while."

"Wow, those are some big names from the area, and I don't think any of them have ever really been shown in a gallery," Naruto replied, admiration clear in his voice. "But what about you? Would you show any of your work? I think your work is beautiful."

"Thank you Naruto," Izumi said with a blush. "And I would definitely show some of my work, but I'm wondering more about you. Would you show any of your work?"

"Well, I don't know. I don't think I'm really the type of artist you'd want to put in your gallery," Naruto replied tentatively.

"Bullshit!" Tsunade shouted, startling both artists, as well as the rest of the restaurant. "You're exactly the kind of artist she wants in her gallery."

"But-" Naruto began, but Tsunade cut him off.

"No buts," she said. Turning to Izumi she asked, "Did he ever show you the piece he did for my birthday last year?"

"No, he didn't."  
>"It was a beautiful piece. It was my grandfather and his brother, looking across a vast forest, stretching out to the horizon. The colors and the details were amazing, and he did it all from a tiny photo of them from when they were younger. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen."<p>

Izumi was surprised by this. "Why didn't you ever show me?" she asked him.

"I've never been really confident in my work, but if you two both believe in me so much, then I'll make some work to show," Naruto said confidently.

Tsunade smiled. "Good," she said. "Now, Izumi, what's keeping you from opening this gallery?"

"Well, currently I don't have the funds to rent a space, or to pay for advertising. If I can't afford the basic things I definitely cannot afford to pay the artists," she explained.

"What about a loan?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't want to have to be in debt to start my dream, I'll end up being to worried about money instead of focusing on the art."

"What about Gaara and Hinata?" Naruto offered.

"What about them?" Tsunade shot back.

"Well, they're both great lovers of modern art, as well as local talent. They'd probably be willing to supply the startup capital. They both have their own massive fortunes."

"I'm still a little leery about borrowing money, especially from your friends. I don't want to take advantage of them," Izumi replied.

"They're your friends now too, Izumi. And it shouldn't be a problem if we can convince them to make it a donation instead of a loan. It shouldn't be too hard for Hinata and I to get Gaara to do it," Naruto said.

Tsunade shot him a skeptical look. "And how are you going to get him to do it?"

"Easy, just tell him it'll be good for his image."

"Naruto," Tsunade chastised her son.

"Relax, it's not a lie. It would do wonders for his image. Hinata tells me that most investors see him as cold and jaded. This would be perfect for warming him up, so to speak," Naruto explained.

"Also, he has the perfect piece of real estate right downtown. He owns the whole building it's in, so no need to worry if you ever want to expand, or the space isn't quite right. Please consider it Izumi," Naruto pleaded.

Izumi stared back at her boyfriend, weighing her options. While she wanted to open a gallery without any assistance, she knew that it would be years before she had enough money to even consider it. However, with Naruto's suggestion she would be able to start almost immediately. The temptation of having her dream within her grasp was too much, but she would have to get Naruto to do something for her though. "Alright Naruto," she said softly. "I'll ask him, but I have some conditions."

"You name it," the blonde replied ecstatically.

Izumi smiled mischievously. "First, you have to come with me when I speak to Gaara."

"That's easy, no problem."

"Second, you have to let me put some of your work in the gallery once I open."

"I suppose I should have seen that coming," Naruto said with a dry chuckle. "Alright, I'll do some stuff for your gallery."

"Nicely done girl, you've already got the brat wrapped around your finger," came Tsunade's laughing voice. So caught up in their discussion, the couple had almost forgotten she was there.

Naruto sighed. He was supposed to be enjoying lunch with his mother, but he had gotten so caught up in the idea of Izumi opening her gallery that he hadn't spoken much to her. Deciding to redirect the conversation, Naruto turned to the older blonde and asked, "So Mom, how's work been?"

Smiling at her adopted son, Tsunade just shrugged and said, "It's been good. Really busy in the ER lately so I haven't had as much time to enjoy myself, so I've been cutting back on sake."

"Really? That's good Mom, I'm proud of you," Naruto said with a bright smile.

"Oh shut up brat. I miss my sake. I know you and Shizune think I drink too much, but I've never had a real problem before," Tsunade told him with a stern visage. A moment later, her gaze softened and she spoke again. "Well, I guess you're right though, it is a good thing I've cut back somewhat. But I'm not quitting."

"I wouldn't expect you to, but I'm glad," Naruto replied. With that, the trio relaxed and fell into idle chit-chat.

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><p>Lunch for the trio lasted a few hours, turning into an early dinner in the process. Eventually, it was decided that they should head back to the apartment. As they left the restaurant, Naruto couldn't help but feel that he was forgetting something. Halfway back to the apartment, however, he remembered. Pulling his phone out, he quickly composed a text message to Shizune.<p>

Can't stall Mom any longer. Coming home. Naruto.

Naruto waited a few minutes for a response, but none came. He hoped that Anko had already left or that they had migrated to Anko's apartment. As the came closer and closer to the apartment complex, Naruto decided to try Shizune again.

Entering the building now. If you're still there GET OUT NOW

When no response came to Naruto's second txt, he became increasingly worried. Deciding the best thing to do would be to lead Tsunade away for a little while longer he attempted to distract her. "Hey Mom, why don't we keep this little party going. We can go out somewhere else and you can catch up on all your missed sake. What do you say?"

Tsunade gave Naruto a confused look. "No Naruto, I'm kind of worn out, I think I should just sit down and rest."

Izumi watched as Naruto's expression grew more and more frantic. Deciding to see if he was alright, Izumi put a hand on the blonde's shoulder and asked, "Are you alright Naruto?"

Naruto stopped and looked at Izumi, trying to think of a response. His moment of hesitation sealed his fate. Tsunade continued on to the apartment and opened the door. The older blonde's shout snapped Naruto back to the present and he ran off after his mother, Izumi following in his wake.

As Tsunade stared at the wreckage of her family's apartment, she wondered what could have happened while they were gone. A cursory glance showed that nothing valuable was missing, further adding to her confusion. As Naruto came up behind her, the situation took a turn for the worse. A low moan sounded from deeper inside the apartment, from Shizune's room. Terrified that her daughter was hurt, Tsunade sprinted over, ignoring all of Naruto's warnings about taking caution.

Reaching her daughter's bedroom, Tsunade threw open the door and barged inside. What she saw stunned her into silence. Naruto appeared behind her in the doorway and saw what was happening. Shizune and Anko, naked, were locked in an intimate moment. Shizune's back was arched, he head thrown back, as she let loose another moan. Anko currently had her head buried between Shizune's legs, licking eagerly at her girlfriend's core. Frozen by the erotic spectacle before them, Naruto and Tsunade could do nothing but stare blankly at the two women on the bed.

Izumi, who had stumbled slightly on her way through the apartment, arrived a few moments after the two blondes. As she peered past Naruto into the room, she let loose a small shriek at what she saw. This was all the group need to snap back to reality. Aware that they now had an audience, Shizune and Anko quickly turned their attention to the door. Realizing that her mother had caught her, Shizune quickly reached for a blanket to cover herself as Anko rolled off of her onto the floor, using the bed as cover. Coming out of his stupor, Naruto quickly scanned the room and shifted his attention between his mother and sister, wondering what was going to happen next.

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><p>AN: I have absolutely no excuse. Nothing more than I just didn't feel like writing. If I hadn't sat down and said "It's time to get off your ass and write", I might have never finished this chapter. I know it's kinda short, but I intend to start working on the next chapter as soon as possible. I'll try to get it out sooner than I did this one, but I don't know if I'll get another out before the year ends. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one and please remember to review.<p> 


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